Martin Odegaard offers 'positive' update as Arsenal captain addresses injury for first time

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard says he is “making progress” with his ankle injury and he is aiming to be back as “quickly as possible”.

Odegaard injured his ankle while on international duty with Norway playing against Austria earlier this month.

The midfielder has not been able to play since, missing matches against Atalanta, Manchester City and Tottenham, with Mikel Arteta confirming he will be out for “a while”.

Odegaard has revealed the injury is not as bad as he first feared and he is working hard to be back as soon as possible.

“It’s been a while since my last programme notes, so I thought I would start with the latest on my injury,” said Odegaard, ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup game with Bolton.

“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.

“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.

“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. 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.”