Arsenal Captain Martin Odegaard opens up on his desire to return from injury
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is focusing on returning to action as soon as possible and feels fortunate his injury is not worse than it is.
Odegaard injured his ankle while on Norway duty two weeks ago and has missed Arsenal’s three matches since, including Wednesday’s EFL Cup tie with Bolton Wanderers.
Mikel Arteta confirmed this week that the midfielder will be “out for a while”, but no timeframe has been given for his recovery.
Addressing his lay-off for the first time, Odegaard admits he was scared by the severity of the damage when first sustaining the injury.
“It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there, but it’s part of football and now I’m just trying to recover as quickly as I can,” he wrote in his programme notes for the Bolton tie.
“I’m moving forward, making progress and I’m feeling more positive every day. I’m working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible.
“I’m at the Sobha Realty Training Centre basically every day now, working hard and doing everything I can do to get better.
“I have to be careful not to push it too much, but at the same time do what I can to make sure I come back as strongly and quickly as possible.
“I’m trying to support the team in a different way now, if I can’t be on the pitch. That’s my situation, and I have to make the best out of it.
“It’s something I’m not used to. I’ve been quite fortunate, if that’s the word, or have done well to avoid injuries in the past, but this is football and I have to get on with it.
“I think it was unfortunate to get the injury in the way that I did, but also it could have been worse. It was not a nice twist, and when it happened I felt it could be serious.
“I’ve injured my ankle before and the pain felt a bit different this time. That’s what scared me, but from what happened it could have been worse, so in that sense I got away with it a bit.”
Odegaard started his side’s opening three Premier League games and, while he has yet to register a goal or assist, he proved influential with five chances created – a tally only Bukayo Saka (eight) could better among Arsenal players.
Reports suggest the former Real Madrid player could return to action after the October international break, but the 25-year-old is himself still unsure how long he will be out.
“Like any player, the first thing I asked the medical team was how long I would be out for, but it’s a bit tricky to say at the moment,” Odegaard said.Â
“In the early stages, it’s crucial to get a proper rest and to make sure everything heals well. After that it’s about getting stronger and building it up again.”
Arsenal follow up their EFL Cup third-round tie against Bolton with home games against Leicester City and Southampton in the Premier League, plus Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, prior to the international break.
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