Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been called up to the Norway squad for international duty, raising the possibility of a conflict between club and country.
The 25-year-old playmaker recently returned from an ankle injury sustained while on international duty, which kept him sidelined from September 9 to November 6.
Odegaard made a brief substitute appearance in Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan on Wednesday, before playing the full 90 minutes in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal’s struggle in the 12 matches Martin Odegaard missed highlighted just how crucial his creativity is to the team’s performance.
His importance was evident in the Chelsea clash, where he played a key role in setting up Gabriel Martinelli’s opening goal.
Mikel Arteta praised Odegaard’s contribution, highlighting his significant impact on the match.
“I don’t know another player that is capable of [playing 90 minutes to that standard] after six weeks out,” Arteta said.
“He had a day-and-a-half to be able to do that.
“Just how physically and mentally connected he was with the team, it was unbelievable.”
However, Arteta is likely to be frustrated by Martin Odegaard’s call-up for Norway’s upcoming matches against Slovenia and Kazakhstan.
Norway head coach Stale Solbakken was eager to have his two-star players, alongside Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, available for the Nations League fixtures.
Nevertheless, Solbakken understands the need for caution as they navigate Odegaard’s fitness.
He told VG: “We’ll see how it turns out. The ankle, the medics and Martin decide this.”
Arteta remained tight-lipped when asked about the possibility of Odegaard’s call-up, but his stance is easy to interpret
“I haven’t spoken to the player yet,” he said when asked about Odegaard joining up with Norway.
Pushed again, Arteta added: “I will speak to him and then I can tell you what I prefer.”
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