Stale Solbakken has reassured fans that Martin Odegaard’s latest injury is not serious, despite the Arsenal captain missing several recent matches for the club.
Odegaard has been sidelined since suffering a knee problem during last month’s 1-1 draw with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. The midfielder attempted to block Keane Lewis-Potter’s equaliser in that encounter and later appeared to be struggling with the issue.
The Norwegian playmaker subsequently missed fixtures against Wigan in the FA Cup and a league clash with Wolves before briefly returning with a 13-minute cameo in the north London derby against Tottenham. However, he has since sat out Arsenal’s victories over Chelsea and Brighton.
Despite the repeated absences, Norway boss Solbakken remains relaxed about the situation and believes the midfielder will soon be back to full fitness.
“There is nothing serious about Martin. The most important thing is that he recovers completely and is good for us in the (European) summer,” Solbakken told Viaplay.
“For those of us who care about the World Cup, it’s not a disaster that he’s getting some breaks now.
“He’s going to rebuild and be crucial for Arsenal in April-May and maybe late March.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has also been cautious when discussing his captain’s return, saying “we’ll see” when asked if the attacking midfielder would be available soon.
It has been a stop-start campaign for Odegaard due to injuries, although he has still managed 20 Premier League appearances this season. Earlier in the campaign he suffered shoulder issues during matches against Leeds and Nottingham Forest before later sustaining an MCL knee injury against West Ham United in October.
That problem kept him out until late November, when he returned from the bench during Arsenal’s 3-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich.
Norway will play international friendlies against the Netherlands and Switzerland later this month, though it remains uncertain whether Odegaard will be included in the squad.
Both Arsenal and Norway will hope their captain is fully fit in the coming months, with the national team preparing for the upcoming World Cup, where they have been drawn alongside France and Senegal in the group stage.
