Norway manager provides update on Martin Odegaard's injury

Norway manager Stale Solbakken has dashed hopes of an imminent return to action for Martin Odegaard, saying the Arsenal star is still "far" away from making a comeback.

Odegaard suffered an ankle ligament injury while playing for Norway during the September international break. While the playmaker avoided the worst possible outcomes, he was still expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks.

While there was initial speculation that Arsenal's captain could be out until mid-November, Mikel Arteta said at the end of September that he expected Odegaard to return after the October international break.

In his absence, the Gunners haven't suffered. With their primary creator out, Arteta's side have leaned on their physicality and stout work without the ball to maintain their unbeaten record at the start of the new season.

Norway manager provides update on Martin Odegaard's injury

Despite Arsenal's recent success, supporters are desperate to see Odegaard in action again. Since drawing away at Manchester City, the Gunners have performed with impressive fluidity in possession, and the return of the skipper should only aid their ability to overwhelm opponents through technical craft and slick positional interchanges.

Leandro Trossard has performed particularly well alongside Kai Havertz in a dual false nine system.

Unfortunately, it seems we might have to wait a while until Odegaard makes his return from injury. The Norway captain was unsurprisingly not selected for his nation's upcoming October fixtures, and Solbakken's update wasn't exactly promising.

"He is far from being in the squad," Solbakken told reporters. "We will have to see how far he gets during this international break. It is possible that he will come, but it depends a little on his rehabilitation. I have not spoken to him in the past four or five days."

An immediate return after the international break seems unlikely, with Arsenal in action away at Bournemouth on 19 October. Arteta will want to have his skipper available for another crunch run which starts at home to Liverpool on 27 October and concludes away at Chelsea on 10 November. The Gunners face Newcastle and Inter in between.

On the bright side, the Spaniard can now call upon summer arrival Mikel Merino after he finally made his debut in Tuesday's 2-0 win over PSG. The Spaniard should further aid the balance down a fluid left-hand side, and allow Declan Rice to sit in a deeper midfield position.

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