Arsenal have made an ideal start to their Premier League campaign so far, winning six of their opening seven games to sit top of the table. Now it appears as though the squad should have some respite, with the first international break of the season now upon us.
While there may be some concerns that this will upset the rhythm that the Gunners have created up until this point, it may have come at an ideal time when it comes to the options available. A number of players have picked up injuries, calling into question the squad depth once again.
One of those that was unavailable for the clash with Brentford on Sunday was club captain Martin Odegaard, who had Fabio Vieira take his place in the side. However, with his absence a huge blow for the coming fixtures, we bring you the latest on his current injury concerns.
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The injury
The 23-year-old was absent from the match against the Bees with a knock to his calf in training, however he did make a return to training beforehand. He will likely continue to be assessed, with teammate Takehiro Tomiyasu suffering a similar issue in both calves during last season.
Return date
As of right now, there is no confirmed return date, though there will certainly be hopes that the Norway international can find his way back to fitness in time for the north London derby against Tottenham next time out. When asked about the injury, manager Mikel Arteta said: "I don’t know [the extent of the injury], we have the international break right now so it's going to give us a break [on that]."
Worrying claim
Despite his knock, Norway coach Stale Solbakken has called the midfielder up to his national team squad and given an update on his inclusion. As quoted by TV2, Solbakken insisted that the Norway national team and Arsenal are speaking regularly regarding Odegaard's situation. He said: "We are in regular dialogue with him and 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."
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