Arsenal handed Martin Odegaard injury boost as Mikel Arteta avoids Tottenham derby crisis | OneFootball

Captain’s fitness is crucial with fellow midfielders Declan Rice and Mikel Merino already out of Spurs clash

The midfielder, a hugely influential figure as captain for both club and country, has been included in Stale Solbakken’s starting lineup as his side begin their Nations League Group B3 campaign away against Kazakhstan at Almaty Central Stadium on Friday afternoon.

Odegaard’s fitness will come as a huge relief for both Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta, who will hope that his skipper does not suffer any further setbacks on international duty.

The 25-year-old has started all three of the Gunners’ Premier League matches so far this season, but sustained a knock following a first-half challenge by Yankuba Minteh during last weekend’s contentious 1-1 draw against Brighton.

Ready to go: Arsenal and Norway captain Martin Odegaard has allayed any injury fears

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Odegaard received treatment on the pitch before being deemed fine to continue, though he appeared to take a little while to shake off the issue and had an unusually muted impact on the game before being eventually replaced by Gabriel Martinelli with just over 15 minutes left to play at the Emirates Stadium.

Commenting on his captain’s fitness at a pre-Kazakhstan press conference on Thursday, Solbakken had provoked concern by saying: “I think it's another bang. I was about to say, I think it is something other than the bang, so to speak."

However, Odegaard himself allayed any fears over a lingering injury, telling reporters: “I feel good.

“I took a couple of knocks in the match [against Brighton], but feel better now. Yesterday I trained as normal without any problems and I am ready for the match.”

Provided he comes through the Kazakhstan clash and Monday night’s home meeting with Austria in Oslo unscathed, Arteta will be relieved to have Odegaard fit and available for what is already shaping up to be a potentially critical week for Arsenal so early into the new season.

The Gunners make the short trip to face fierce rivals Tottenham in the first north London derby of the term in their first match back after the international break on September 15, then kicking off their Champions League campaign against current Europa League holders Atalanta in Italy just three days before another huge meeting away with title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Odegaard’s absence would have sparked something of a midfield crisis against Spurs for Arteta, who is already without both Declan Rice and Mikel Merino for a high-profile visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Rice is suspended for one match after his controversial sending off against Brighton, while new signing Merino suffered a shoulder fracture during his very first training session at London Colney after finally completing a £31.6million transfer from Real Sociedad last week and is expected to be out for nearly two months.

Reports claim that Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus could return from a groin injury to play some part against Tottenham, though defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) both remain sidelined.