Norway boss gives worrying Martin Odegaard injury update | OneFootball

Norway boss Stale Solbakken believes Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard is still a long way from playing matches, despite the midfielder’s optimistic recent update.

Norway’s Martin Odegaard and Austria’s Philipp Lienhart vie for the ball during the UEFA Nations League, League B, Group B3 football match Norway vs Austria at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Norway on September 9, 2024. (Photo by TERJE PEDERSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard gave the fans some reason for optimism in his programme notes last week, suggesting he’s making “good progress” and that “hopefully it won’t be much longer” until he’s back.

But Norway boss Stale Solbakken seems less positive about the player’s chances, even if he did agree that Odegaard is making positive steps.

“There is great progress in relation to pain and injury, but he is a long way from playing matches,” Solbakken said in Tuesday’s print edition of Norwegian outlet Dagsavisen, adding that Odegaard “is in Arsenal’s hands”.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal hands the Captains armband to Bukayo Saka of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Emirates Stadium on August 31, 2024. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

In terms of an estimate on Odegaard’s return date, Solbakken went on to say: “I don’t think anyone knows that, and I don’t think he knows it himself either.”

Odegaard had played just three games for Arsenal in 2024/25 when he went away with Norway for the September internationals, but he suffered a serious ankle injury in his second Nations League match of the break.

The 25-year-old has gone on to miss Champions League matches against Atalanta and PSG, Premier League games against Spurs, Manchester City, Leicester City, and Southampton, and a League Cup game against Bolton Wanderers.

But if Solbakken is to be believed, Odegaard could be set to miss a few more key games in the coming weeks.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal applauds the fans following the team’s victory during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Emirates Stadium on August 17, 2024. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)

“In the last week or so I’ve made really good progress,” Odegaard had said ahead of the Southampton match at the weekend.

“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.”