Odegaard expresses optimism over injury

Arsenal and Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard has expressed optimism about his recovery from injury. The Norwegian indicated that his injury is not as bad as the initial prognosis suggested and expressed hopes to return to action soon. He suffered damage to his ligament during the September international break and was looking at a long absence.
While Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta estimated the Norwegian’s return in terms of weeks, the Norway national team coach Stale Solbakken had a more depressing update during a presser on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming international break. He said, “He is far from being in the squad. We will see how far he gets during this national team break. I have known for quite some time that he was not relevant for this gathering.”

However, the Arsenal captain has offered a more optimistic evaluation and said that his ankle is recovering better and faster than initially expected. He gave the update ahead of Arsenal’s game against Southampton saying, “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.
Odegaard has missed six games for Arsenal since he got injured. Despite his absence having a huge impact on Arteta’s team, they have managed to grind out four wins out of the six games he’s missed. After today’s game, Arsenal play next on October 19 when they’ll travel to Bournemouth.