Arsenal have been given a major boost after Martin Odegaard trained ahead of their crunch games against Inter Milan and Chelsea, but midfield partner Declan Rice was absent.
Odegaard has been out for more than two months since he suffered an ankle injury while playing for Norway at the start of September.
But the club captain is closing in on a return and trained with the Arsenal squad on Tuesday morning ahead of their Champions League showdown with Inter on Wednesday.
However, he was earlier on Tuesday left out of Norway’s squad for the Nations League double-header against Slovenia and Kazakhstan later in November.
Odegaard has been pushing to be available for the Inter clash and is itching to make his comeback.
The 25-year-old has been training on the grass for a few weeks but Arsenal will be wary about rushing him back after a long spell out.
Odegaard damaged his ankle ligaments playing for Norway and has not played for Arsenal since their 1-1 draw with Brighton on August 31.
He has missed 12 Arsenal games and his return to fitness will be a major boost for the Gunners, who need their captain to help spark their season back into life after three Premier League games without a win derailed their title bid.
Arsenal have missed his creativity and leadership, while he also leads their press.
Mikel Arteta’s side are in a good position in the Champions League with seven points from their first three games, but the trip to Inter represents their toughest test in the league stage.
