Norway manager Stale Solbakken admits Martin Odegaard is “not doing well” after suffering a calf injury.
The Arsenal captain – along with Emile Smith Rowe and Oleksandr Zinchenko - missed Sunday’s win over Brentford and it remains unclear as to what kind of part he can play in his country’s UEFA Nations League double-header against Slovenia and Serbia.
While the 23-year-old will likely remain with the Norwegian camp, Solbakken does not know if the player can be involved in a playing capacity at all.
Handed the Arsenal captaincy earlier this summer, Odegaard has taken to the new role well. Six Premier League appearances have yielded three goals, with Mikel Arteta’s team sitting at the top of the Premier League.
Speaking to TV2, Solbakken said: “We are in regular dialogue with him and (Mikel) Arteta and Arsenal’s health sector, as it is called in Danish. Nothing has been decided there, so there is still hope.
“They are the ones who have had ‘hands on him’ up until now, and they are in dialogue.
“He’s not doing well now. Now it’s a matter of getting a final decision on whether he can be in both or one game. We’ll certainly see him in Norway, either as a player or a ‘fourth coach’.
“It means a lot to have him.”
