Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard suffered a new injury in his team’s 2-0 loss to West Ham United last time out.
Norway manager Starre Solbakken has confirmed that Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has returned to his home country after sustaining an MCL injury against West Ham last weekend. The 26-year-old was forced to withdraw from international action after colliding with Hammers forward Crisencio Somerville.
“Martin Odegaard sustained a medial collateral ligament injury in his left knee during the first half against West Ham United on Saturday and will therefore be excluded from the Norwegian national team for the upcoming matches against Israel and New Zealand,” a statement released on Sunday read.
“Martin will continue to be evaluated and treated by the Sober Realty Training Center medical team throughout the international period with the aim of returning to competition as soon as possible.”
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Arsenal then allowed Odegaard to return to Norway, where he visited his national team-mates.
Solbakken revealed that Odegaard had lunch with Norwegian colleagues on Thursday and was also due to feature in Saturday’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Israel in Oslo, Football London reported.
The 57-year-old explained: “He came here and had a little look and had a nice lunch with the players. Martin is a big part of us and is our captain even though he’s not playing.”
“We wanted him on the field, but he’s a good guy off the field. He’s a good guy who can talk about football and everything else. He’s the security element of the group.”
Both Arsenal and Norway have been reluctant to set a date for Odegaard’s return, but Norwegian sources close to the national team see the fact that the player has been allowed to return to Scandinavia as a positive sign.
Asked if Odegaard would be in the dressing room before this weekend’s game against Israel, Solbakken added: “We couldn’t agree on that. He will come to the game. We haven’t agreed on what he will or won’t do, but he will definitely be in.”
Erling Haaland is expected to wear the captain’s armband for Norway in the absence of Martin Odegaard, with Manchester City’s youngster Oskar Bobb likely to be given a starting role.
RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa revealed to Norwegian media outlet Dagbladet that he had met with the Arsenal captain. “I met Martin yesterday. I was very happy to talk to him. I wish him a speedy recovery. I hope everything goes as well as possible.”
Norway has only played in the World Cup finals, having only appeared three times, with their most recent appearance being in 1998. His record at the European Championships is not that good, with only one qualification in 2000.
However, the dynamic duo of Odegaard and Haaland propelled ‘Lens Raggett’ to the pinnacle of making history. After five games, they boast a perfect record and are currently six points ahead of Italy, who still have a game in hand.
The two teams are set to clash in Milan next month, with Norway riding high after scoring an astonishing 24 goals throughout qualifying, averaging almost five goals per game.
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