Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has revealed he made the decision to return to London after being ruled out of international duty for Norway due to injury.
The 25-year-old midfielder made his first Premier League start since August in Sunday’s 1-1 draw, after recovering from an ankle injury that had kept him sidelined.
Martin Odegaard had travelled to Oslo to join the Norway squad for upcoming Nations League fixtures against Slovenia and Kazakhstan.
However, following medical assessments, he has opted to continue his rehabilitation in London.
“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,” Norway captain Odegaard told the official Norwegian Football Association website.
“I’ve been through a long training period and when you haven’t practiced football in the last nine weeks, it’s natural not to be 100 per cent 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.”
Norway team doctor Ola Sand confirmed that Odegaard has suffered a ‘complicated’ ankle injury and will require more time to be fully ‘match-ready’ again.
National-team manager Stale Solbakken said: “We knew that there was a risk that Martin would not be ready.
“He has had a strong desire to take part in the matches, but we cannot risk his health.”
Read more: Liverpool transfer target Omar Marmoush equals Lionel Messi record
Darwin Nunez fires Liverpool warning after opening up five-point lead in Premier League
Matthijs de Ligt admits Ruben Amorim’s arrival not be good news for everyone at Man Utd