LATEST NEWS: The timeline for Martin Ødegaard’s return from injury has been disclosed, outlining Mikel Arteta’s best-case scenario.
Mikel Arteta anticipates that Martin Ødegaard will not return to play for Arsenal until after the international break, as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury. Ødegaard has been unavailable for the past three matches due to a knock sustained while on international duty with Norway.
He is among several players who will miss the upcoming Carabao Cup match against Bolton on Wednesday. However, there is optimism that the club captain could return by the end of October, with Arteta not entirely dismissing the possibility of his comeback before the next round of international fixtures.
Arsenal is scheduled to play four matches across various competitions before the international break. These fixtures include the match against Bolton, a home game against Leicester over the weekend, a Champions League encounter with Paris Saint-Germain, and a match against Southampton. Following these games, the team will have a two-week hiatus from club football.
The last match before the international break is set for October 5, which would provide Ødegaard with just over ten days to regain his fitness. Nevertheless, Arteta remains hopeful for a quicker return. “I think it will be a matter of weeks, but I can’t specify how long exactly,” he mentioned in the lead-up to the Bolton match. “We might get a surprise, but it seems unlikely he will be back before the international break.”
Since his unfortunate injury while representing his country, Ødegaard has not participated in training. Arsenal appeared to take extra precautions recently, as they strategically placed a ball in front of him during the club’s 2024/25 squad photo to keep his left foot out of view.
Since joining Arsenal, Ødegaard has only missed six league games, having started 104 out of 114 matches. Last season, in the 35 games he started, he exited the pitch before the 85th minute on only three occasions.
In addition to Ødegaard, Arteta has other pressing concerns ahead of the match against League One side Bolton. Oleksandr Zinchenko remains sidelined, and there are uncertainties surrounding the fitness of Ben White, Jurrien Timber, and Riccardo Calafiori.
While the head coach did not rule anyone out aside from Ødegaard and Zinchenko, he also did not provide any positive updates. “I prefer facts over speculation,” he stated. “Let’s assess who is available tomorrow, and then we can discuss the situation further.”
Regarding David Raya, he added, “We’ll evaluate how they are today and decide if that’s a viable option.”