Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will return to London to continue his rehabilitation and miss Norway’s Nations League double header in November despite a late call-up, the national team has confirmed.
Norway Confirm Martin Odegaard Will Miss November Matches
Having been added to the Norway squad as a late call-up for their Nations League fixtures against Slovenia and Kazakhstan in November, Martin Odegaard has withdrawn from international duty and will return to London to continue his rehabilitation with Arsenal.
The Gunners’ captain made his return from an ankle injury after close to two months on the sidelines as a late substitute in the defeat to Inter in the Champions League last week. He then went on to feature for the entire 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, in which he provided an assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s opener.
Despite playing the full game at Stamford Bridge and Odegaard’s eagerness to play for the national team, it has been decided that the 25-year-old will return to London Colney, Norway have confirmed in a statement.
“This has been a complicated ankle injury,” said Norway’s national team doctor, Ola Sand.
“With very few training sessions with the team in the last nine weeks, it is natural that the body is not one hundred percent at this stage.
“After thorough investigations and conversations, we have agreed that Martin will not be ready to play for the matches against Slovenia and Kazakhstan. In consultation with him, we have agreed that it is better for him to return home to London to continue his rehabilitation there.”
Martin Odegaard: “I Need To Listen To My Body”
Odegaard himself spoke on his withdrawal too, stating: “After discussions with the medical staff at the national team, we have unfortunately concluded that the situation is not good enough to play these matches.
“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.
“The hope has always been to be able to play the national matches and if I hadn’t played on Sunday, it would have been out of the question to participate anyway. It’s a very bad feeling to lose these games. I love playing for Norway and with this team.”
His withdrawal comes less than 24 hours after Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice pulled out of the England squad after the pair were forced off with injuries late on at the weekend.
