Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Darren Wells

Arsenal loanee Martin Odegaard breaks silence on injury scare

Martin Odegaard has allayed any immediate fears over his fitness after limping out of Norway's World Cup qualifier against Gibraltar on Wednesday.

The midfielder captained his country for the first time but was forced off at half-time of the clash at Victoria Stadium, which Norway eventually won comfortably by three goals-to-nil.

Attention soon turned to Odegaard's condition after the final whistle, but Norway boss Stale Solbakken quickly denied the injury was anything serious.

Now Odegaard, 22, has also provided a positive update of his own, including good news for the Gunners.

He told 2Sporten : "I twisted my ankle, but I think I will be fit for the game against Turkey Saturday."

Martin Odegaard says he should be fit for Norway's next match (Sky Sports)

Norway still have a trip to Montenegro to navigate on Tuesday following the clash with Turkey before Odegaard can return to Arsenal, who will no doubt assess the player ahead of their next fixture against Liverpool on Saturday April 3.

Odegaard has become an important player for Arsenal since joining the club on loan from Real Madrid in January, with his latest display against West Ham particularly impressive.

Mikel Arteta praised the youngster's role in their comeback to draw with the Hammers and has already instructed the club's board to do all they can to sign Odegaard permanently if the opportunity is available to them.

The midfielder was subbed off after injuring his ankle in the win over Gibraltar (Sky Sports)

"I think he had an incredible performance, he was very intelligent the way he read the game, the way he affected the game and again he showed how much he wants to win," said Arteta.

"When everyone was a little bit trembling, he gave us that composure on the ball and he created chance after chance.

"I love talented and creative players that all the time are willing to take that ball and make things happen, that are mobile and also hard-working. He is one of them.

"We have some others with different qualities but it's true that Martin is now giving us a different level on certain things that we didn't have."

Odegaard has commented on his own future amid speculation he would be prepared to leave Real Madrid this summer to seek regular first-team football elsewhere.

"I haven't thought about what'll happen in summer. The deal with Arsenal is until the end of season. We'll see what happens this summer," he told a press conference prior to the Gibraltar fixture, but added: "I've said things before that I still stand for: Stability and development are key words."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.