Martin Odegaard has recently shared footage of himself running again, but Arsenal fans have been informed that he is still a “long way” from returning to action.
The Gunners’ captain has been sidelined since early September due to ankle ligament damage sustained while on international duty with Norway.
Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that the 25-year-old experienced a “significant” setback and is expected to face an extended period away from the pitch.
Odegaard’s injury has caused him to miss crucial Premier League matches against Tottenham, Manchester City, Leicester, and Southampton.
Additionally, he has been absent for the first two Champions League games against Atalanta and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Carabao Cup tie against Bolton.
Arsenal supporters were given a glimmer of hope when both Martin Odegaard and the club released footage of him running on an anti-gravity treadmill, indicating that a return may not be too far off.
With challenging fixtures ahead against Liverpool, Newcastle, Inter Milan, and Chelsea, fans are optimistic that he could feature in this demanding stretch.
However, recent comments from Norway’s manager Ståle Solbakken suggest that fans may need to remain patient regarding their captain’s comeback.
Solbakken addressed the midfielder’s fitness ahead of his side’s Nations League clash with Slovenia on Thursday night.
Quoted by Norwegian news outlet Dagsavisen. he said: “There is great progress in relation to pain and injury, but he is a long way from playing matches.”
He then claimed that Odegaard’s return is ‘In Arsenal’s hands,’ before he was then asked when the player could grace the turf again.
To which he stated: “I don’t think anyone knows that, and I don’t think he knows it himself either.”
Solbakken’s remarks follow closely on the heels of Odegaard’s optimistic message in his captain’s column from last Saturday’s matchday programme.
He wrote: “I just wanted to start with the latest on my injury and rehab. In the last week or so I’ve made really good progress.
“I’m getting better and better by the day and feel it’s going well.
“When you feel like things are moving forward, it gives you motivation to do more and more, and work harder.
“Today is our last game before another international break, so that gives me some more time to work on the rehab, too.
“Hopefully it won’t be much longer; I think we will know more as soon as I get out on the training pitches and we see how my ankle responds to that.
“At the moment it’s progressing well and it looks better than we were thinking, but we’ve still got to take every day as it comes.”
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