Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is still aiming to return from injury in November after missing the last four weeks with angle ligament damage. Mikel Arteta, Norway boss Stale Solbakken and Odegaard himself have all provided updates over the last few weeks with conflicting reports emerging as a result.
Prior to the win against Southampton, Odegaard issued a detailed update on his ongoing recovery which seemingly arrived as a major boost “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,” he revealed in his Arsenal programme notes.
“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.”
Since then, Odegaard has also been captured on an alterG Anti-Gravity treadmill which is said to provide precise early partial weight-bearing following injury to restore natural gait and range of motion. Though it would’ve been a welcome sight to see Odegaard working in the gym, it must be mentioned it is still early stages.
Shortly after that, disaster appeared to strike with talk on social media suggesting Odegaard had suffered a setback and was thus not expected to return until December. However, Sky Sports have clarified his return timeline by claiming Arsenal are still of the belief he can return in November.
As he is set to miss the remainder of this month, the Gunners will have to face Liverpool without Odegaard. Within the first 10 days of November, Arsenal take on Newcastle, Inter and Chelsea which will certainly leave Arteta hoping he can be available in the early stages of the month.
However, his long-awaited return coming against one of Nottingham Forest, Sporting CP or West Ham, following the next international break, looks far more likely.
