Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has missed a couple of weeks with an injury he sustained during the last international break. BBC Sport Reporter Chris Wise has suggested that the gunners do not need him back in the team immediately.
The Gunners have been unbeaten in all competitions during the last month, recording key victories over Spurs and Paris Saint-Germain. Mikel Arteta praised his squad for the consistency they showed during that period.
With Odegaard out of the team, Leandro Trossard has had to fill in a more advanced role to help the team.
BBC Sport reporter Chris Wise insists Martin Odegaard should not be rushed
Odegaard has been on the road to recovery since the last international break. Norway hope to have him available for the next international break mid November. With Arsenal having achieved impressive results with Odegaard out of the team, Chris Wise believes the Gunners captain should not be rushed back to fitness:
“You have to give great credit to Arsenal for how they have performed without their creative and courageous leader Martin Odegaard.
“There was much concern around his absence for those big Premier League games at Tottenham and Manchester City last month, as well as the start of Arsenal’s Champions League campaign – but they have proved they can cope.” he wrote in his column.
“There are indications though that Odegaard could be returning from his ankle problem sooner than some imagined.”
Wise then went on to add that with the number of games between now and the next international break, it would not be a wise choice for Arsenal to rush Odegaard.
“But there are seven Arsenal games between now and then. Given the solid performances without him, the Gunners’ need to rush him back perhaps does not feel as strong as many predicted it might.”
Arsenal captain says he is nearing full fitness
The gunners posted a video of Martin Odegaard on an anti-gravity treadmill, something Arsenal players are often seen on when they are close to recovery.
The club captain also said that he is close to returning to the pitch, in the last matchday programme.
“I just wanted to start with the latest on my injury and rehab. In the last week or so I’ve made really good progress. I’m getting better and better by the day and feel it’s going well. When you feel like things are moving forward, it gives you motivation to do more and more, and work harder.”
“Today is our last game before another international break, so that gives me some more time to work on the rehab, too. Hopefully it won’t be much longer; I think we will know more as soon as I get out on the training pitches and we see how my ankle responds to that. At the moment it’s progressing well and it looks better than we were thinking, but we’ve still got to take every day as it comes.”