Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will not join up with the Norway squad for their games against the Faroe Islands and Scotland this week.
Odegaard has missed the last three Gunners matches after picking up a knock in training the day before the trip to Newcastle on November 4.
Prior to that, the midfielder had been struggling with a hip issue that had forced him to miss Arsenal’s win over Sheffield United on October 28.
Odegaard recovered from that problem and was able to play the final 10 minutes against West Ham the following Wednesday in the Carabao Cup, scoring a late goal in a 3-1 defeat.
The 24-year-old was called up by Norway last week ahead of their games with the Faroe Islands and Scotland, but he will now stay behind and work at Arsenal instead.
Norway had been braced for that possibility and their manager Stale Solbakken revealed last week that no replacement would be called up.
“As for Martin Odegaard, we await the situation,” he said. “If it happens that he has to report absent, a replacement will not be called in for him, as this was taken into account in the [original squad] selection.”
Norway can no longer qualify for Euro 2024 through Group A after losing 1-0 to Spain in the last international break.
It means their match against Scotland on Sunday is a dead rubber, while the clash with the Faroe Islands on Thursday is a friendly.
Odegaard has not joined up with Norway, but his Arsenal team-mate Jorginho has flown to Italy for their games against North Macedonia and Ukraine.
The midfielder took a blow to the head at the end of the Gunners’ win over Burnley on Saturday and will be assessed by the Italian FA.
