Arsenal get second Martin Odegaard injury update before Inter as huge squad decision made

Martin Odegaard has been left out of Norway's squad ahead of the upcoming international break as he continues to recover from injury. The Arsenal captain did train with his club teammates on Tuesday before they are in Champions League action against Inter.

The Gunners will travel to Italy before their fourth group stage game. There is hope that Odegaard could make a long-awaited return to the playing squad after two months out.

However, even if he is involved on Wednesday night, Odegaard will have two weeks in the middle of November to keep pushing himself to full fitness. That is after Stale Solbakken decided against selecting the 25-year-old in his Norway squad for matches against Slovenia and Kazakhstan in the Nations League.

It is the final international break of 2024, and will be the second since Odegaard picked up the ankle injury whilst away with his country. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has been selected.

Speaking last month, Solbakken was hopeful of having Odegaard back by this stage. "Odegaard's recovery? Everything indicates that things are going according to plan," he said.

“So it's about the last steps when you have to train with opponents and in team training. It depends on how he responds to that, but we have a legitimate hope that he is ready.”

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Odegaard has been training outdoors for Arsenal in the past week as he works towards getting onto the pitch for competitive action once more. "Now is the stage he is going to start doing certain work with us and just see how he deals with pain," Arteta explained before the defeat to Newcastle. "If he is moving naturally enough and if he is physically at the level required to compete.

"But with the work rate and the hours he has put in I would be surprised if the moment he starts training with us we don’t say he is ready so hopefully soon." Odegaard has not played since the end of August.

If he doesn't make the match against Inter he will have another opportunity before the fortnight of international games. Arsenal travel to Chelsea on Sunday.