November 05, (THEWILL) – Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has returned to first-team training following a two-month absence due to an ankle ligament injury sustained during international duty. The Norwegian midfielder participated in training sessions at London Colney on Tuesday, marking his first appearance since September.
The 25-year-old midfielder has missed 12 matches across all competitions for the North London club, including crucial English Premier League fixtures and UEFA Champions League group stage encounters. His potential return comes at a critical time for Arsenal, who currently sit seven points behind English Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Norway national team manager Stale Solbakken has confirmed Odegaard will not participate in the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Slovenia and Kazakhstan on November 14 and 17 respectively. “I speak to Martin every day, we do not rule it out completely but he has to feel ready”, Solbakken stated regarding the decision to omit his captain from the squad.
The initial injury occurred during Norway’s Nations League match against Austria on September 9, when Christoph Baumgartner’s challenge resulted in Odegaard twisting his left ankle. The midfielder required assistance from medical staff to leave the pitch after attempting to continue playing.
Arsenal face significant fixtures in the coming weeks, including an EPL clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and a UCL encounter with Inter Milan on Wednesday. The club continues to manage without several key players, including Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
