Martin Odegaard has spoken about his ankle injury sustained during the international break. The Arsenal captain says he’s getting better everyday, and even gave hope to fans that he might return in a few weeks time.
The midfielder was taken off the pitch in tears during Norway’s Nations League game against Austria.
Norway team doctor Ola Sand initially believed it to be a minor sprain:
“He got a small ankle sprain. We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta also did not give an initial timeline on the injury, but hinted that it would not take months:
“After recent scans the scans showed that he’s got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle,”
“I don’t want to [give a timeline] because I am not a doctor but it is something quite significant so we are going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months. Let’s see.”
The midfielder has been out for the past three games for the Gunners, and is expected to be out for a few more weeks before he returns from injury.
Martin Odegaard gives personal update on injury
The Gunners’ Captain spoke about the injury for the first time in weeks, and shed light on how his recovery is progressing:
“It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there, but it’s part of football and now I’m just trying to recover as quickly as I can. I’m moving forward, making progress and I’m feeling more positive every day. I have to be careful not to push it too much, but at the same time do what I can to make sure I come back as strongly and quickly as possible.
“It’s something I’m not used to. I’ve been quite fortunate, if that’s the word, or have done well to avoid injuries in the past, but this is football and I have to get on with it. I think it was unfortunate to get the injury in the way that I did, but also it could have been worse.”
Norway coach Stale Solbakken suggested that Odegaard would be fit for the international break in October, but the player himself has revealed he would need enough time to recover:
“It was not a nice twist, and when it happened I felt it could be serious. I’ve injured my ankle before and the pain felt a bit different this time. That’s what scared me, but from what happened it could have been worse, so in that sense I got away with it a bit. Like any player, the first thing I asked the medical team was how long I would be out for, but it’s a bit tricky to say at the moment. In the early stages, it’s crucial to get a proper rest and to make sure everything heals well. After that, it’s about getting stronger and building it up again.”
