Martin Odegaard breaks silence with heartfelt message as Arsenal given shock injury update

Martin Odegaard has broken his silence on social media ahead of the international break. Despite only recently returning from the treatment room, the 25-year-old midfielder has been called up to the Norway squad ahead of Nations League clashes against Slovenia and Kazakhstan.

He suffered an ankle injury in September, which sidelined him for 12 games across all competitions. After nearly two months out of action, Odegaard was thrown into the deep end by Mikel Arteta in Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the Gunners boss heaped praise on his skipper for playing a full 90 minutes at such short notice. Arteta said: "I don’t know any other player in the league that is capable of doing that after six weeks out. He had a day and a half, a training and a half. Just physically and mentally to be connected the way he was with the team is unbelievable."

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Then, later that evening, Odegaard offered his verdict on Instagram. He wrote: "Good to be back out there again. Thank you for your support [red heart emoji]. Let’s keep pushing all together."

Despite having only just returned from injury, Ståle Solbakken has jumped at the chance to call Odegaard up for the upcoming international break. Speaking to Nettavisen, the Norway boss said: "I spoke to him late yesterday. He is on his way to Oslo, so we can take it from here."

Then, in an interview with VG Sporten, Solbakken revealed that it remains to be decided whether the playmaker will actually feature for his country this month. He added: "We'll see how it turns out. The ankle, the medics and Martin decide this."

While Odegaard returned, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice appeared to suffer knocks during Arsenal's clash against Chelsea. When quizzed on their fitness, Arteta said: "It doesn’t look good because two players of that importance tell you that they cannot continue in the game, so it obviously isn’t good news."

Then, on if they'll go on international duty, the Spaniard added: "Two players that have just come off? I don’t expect them to be fit, because if they were, they wouldn’t have come off."

The Gunners duo were named in the England squad by Lee Carsley earlier this month. Arsenal will return to Premier League action on November 23 when they host Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium.