Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has explained why he chose to withdraw from the Norway squad.
Odegaard - ranked at no.27 in FourFourTwo's list of the best players in the world right now - suffered an ankle injury during September's international break and made his return to first-team action against Chelsea just a few short days ago.
He missed a total of 12 Arsenal games with Mikel Arteta's side has slipped further and further behind league leaders Liverpool and are now 4th in the table behind Manchester City and the Blues.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard explains why he choses to withdraw from international duty with Norway
"After discussions with the medical staff at the national team, we have unfortunately come to the conclusion that the situation is not good enough to play these games," Odegaard said.
"I’ve been through a long training period and when you haven’t practised football in the last nine weeks, it’s natural not to be 100% yet. I need to listen to my body, complete this rehab process and get my foot back in good shape."
Odegaard has played 61 times for Norway but will now return to Arsenal's North London training base to continue his full preparation for Premier League football later this month.
"I don’t know any other player in the league that is capable of doing that after six weeks out, he had a day and a half, a training and a half," said Arteta after the 25-year-old returned at Stamford Bridge recently. "Just physically and mentally to be connected the way he was with the team is unbelievable.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, Arsenal are a much better side when they have Odegaard fit and firing, given his ability to help Arteta's midfield both in and out of possession.
The Gunners will soon return to Premier League action, as they take on Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium following the completion of November's international break.
