Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has withdrawn from international duty with Norway after being assessed by the nation’s team doctors.
It has been revealed that Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is set to withdraw from the Norway squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League games to focus on his fitness.
Odegaard suffered an ankle injury during the September international break after an unfortunate collision as Norway beat Austria 2-1 at home, with the Gunners’ skipper having made just two appearances since then.
He came on deep in added time during Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League League Phase defeat away to Inter during the week but was deemed fit enough to start, and play the entirety of, their 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea on Sunday.
Despite having originally been called up for Norway’s upcoming Nations League games against Slovenia and Kazakhstan, it has now been revealed that Martin Odegaard will not join the squad, and that he will continue to work on his fitness and regaining his best form with Arsenal.
Odegaard confirmed the news, saying: “After discussions with the medical staff at the national team, we have unfortunately come to the conclusion that the situation is not good enough to play these games.
“I’ve been through a long training period and when you haven’t practiced football in the last nine weeks, it’s natural not to be 100 per cent yet.”
He continued: “I need to listen to my body, complete this rehab process and get my foot back in good shape.
“The hope has always been to be able to play the national matches, and if I hadn’t played the match on Sunday, it would have been out of the question to participate for Norway anyway.
“But it’s a bad feeling to lose these games, I love playing for Norway and with this team. But I have great faith in the boys and wish them the best of luck – there are still good opportunities to win the group.”
One Arsenal fan reacted to this news, saying: “It’s cool that [Martin] Odegaard is staying back in London to train with Arsenal. Hopefully, he can come back stronger for the next games,” on X (formerly Twitter).
