Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard, has been pulled out of the Norway squad for their forthcoming international matches following a knee injury he sustained in a match against West Ham. The 26-year-old midfielder will miss Norway's World Cup qualifier against Israel on 11 October and the friendly match against New Zealand on 14 October.
Odegaard suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee during the game. As a result, he will remain at Arsenal for further assessment and treatment. However, there is currently no timeline set for his return to action.
In contrast to Odegaard’s situation, Declan Rice who also picked up an injury in the same match will report for England duty as expected. He had sustained a back injury but it seems not severe enough to keep him off the field.
Unwanted record set by Odegaard
Interestingly, Odegaard set an unwanted record during Saturday's game when he became the first player in Premier League history to be substituted before half-time in three consecutive starts. He was taken off early during victories over Leeds and Nottingham Forest due to an ongoing shoulder issue.
During the West Ham match, however, he was withdrawn after just 30 minutes following what manager Mikel Arteta described as a "knee-to-knee" collision with opposition forward Crysencio Summerville.
Manager Arteta’s comments post-game
Arteta expressed concern about his captain's condition after speaking with him post-game.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, said:
"I just spoke to him. He's not positive about it. He's got a brace on. We'll have to wait and see from the doctors, but we haven't been very lucky with that either. We haven't had him since the start of the season for one reason or the other. The shoulder twice and then this injury.
"We'll have to wait and see the extent of that injury, and we'll find solutions, but obviously he's our captain and is a player that gives us a completely different dimension with the things that he can do, especially in attacking."
The loss of Odegaard is undoubtedly a blow for both Arsenal and Norway. His absence will be felt on both fronts as they navigate their upcoming matches without him. However, it also presents an opportunity for other players to step up in his absence while fans eagerly await updates on his recovery.
