Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has not ruled out Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard being fit for the international games scheduled for October.
The midfielder picked up an ankle injury during the last international break and missed Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted on Wednesday that the club captain will be missing for a while because he has damaged one of the ankle ligaments.
However, the Arsenal boss is hopeful that it won’t be months before Odegaard is back in action for the Gunners.
The Norwegian is a massive player for Arsenal and his absence could harm their title charge this early in the season but Solbakken has provided a ray of hope for the Gunners fans.
The Norway coach talks about the plan for Martin Odegaard
Odegaard is also a big player for Norway and is a major reason behind their bid to do well in the UEFA Nations League this year.
Norway are scheduled to take on Slovenia and Austria during the October international break and for now, it seems the midfielder will miss those fixtures.
However, Solbakken has not thrown in the towel yet and is not ruling out Odegaard being fit for those international fixtures.
He is working on both possibilities – Odegaaard being available and not available – as he prepares for the international games next month.
“We are preparing with a plan with Martin and one without”, Solbakken told NRK.
Arteta will be keen to make sure that Odegaard is not rushed back given his importance to the Arsenal team.
The medical team of the Norwegian national team will remain in contact with Arsenal to keep tabs on the midfielder’s fitness ahead of the October break.
Odegaard will be in the stands for Arsenal’s big game against Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.
