Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard has been included in Norway’s squad for September’s World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and friendly against Finland.
It underlines the likelihood of the shoulder injury the midfielder suffered during the weekend’s thrashing of Leeds United in the Premier League being just a minor problem. He was later seen sporting a sling after being forced out of the game in the first half.
But a report had already suggested that Ødegaard might not be out of contention for Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool on Aug. 31, with Norway staff clearly believing him to be fit enough for internationals in the first half of September.
The captain was replaced by Ethan Nwaneri against Leeds. If he isn’t fit enough to face Liverpool, Arsenal fans might hope to get a first glimpse of Eberechi Eze, who wasn’t on board in time to play any part of the game last weekend. He could provide flair and creativity, sitting in front of more orthodox midfield pair Declan Rice and Martín Zubimendi.
Norway manager Ståle Solbakken didn’t offer any concrete responses in the wake of his squad announcement. “I don’t have any more details to give you,” he shrugged. “I actually know just as much as you do. I’ve spoken to Martin, and of course, he has hope too. But it’s an injury that hurts a lot right now.”
“We’ve just talked about the situation after the game,” Solbakken continued. “He was in pain. He’s in Arsenal’s hands, and they have a game on Sunday. We can’t do anything from here.”
Ødegaard missed 12 games in the early weeks of last season with an ankle injury. He had been left out Norway’s squad for the November international break, but played in two Arsenal fixtures and then travelled to Oslo to be assessed by medical staff there to see if he could play any part for his country. However, Ødegaard wound up returning to London after saying he needed to “listen” to his body.
Bukayo Saka is set for a slightly longer spell on the sidelines. The English winger is expected to miss up to four weeks with the hamstring complaint he also suffered against Leeds. That would rule him out of facing Liverpool on Sunday, as well international duty with England.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Handed Further Martin Odegaard Injury Boost.