Arsenal fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of their captain, Martin Odegaard, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury since early August. Manager Mikel Arteta has finally provided an encouraging update on the Norwegian midfielder’s recovery, hinting at a potential return as early as next week.
While Odegaard won’t be ready for the game against Bournemouth this Saturday, Arteta has stated that his situation will be reassessed ahead of next week’s crucial fixtures against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and the highly anticipated clash with title rivals Liverpool.
“I think he’s not going to be fit for this game,” Arteta told reporters on Friday. “Next week will be a different story, but again, in that later stage of rehab where he is at the moment, because he’s doing already a lot of the stuff, he needs to clear some markers, he needs to clear certain things, he needs to be comfortable doing things, especially with the ball. I think next week will be crucial to understand how close he is.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal supporters can breathe a sigh of relief regarding the fitness of Bukayo Saka. The winger sustained an injury during England’s 2-1 defeat to Greece last week, missing the subsequent 3-1 win in Finland. However, Arteta has assured fans that Saka’s injury is not serious and he is making good progress.
“It’s not a serious injury,” Arteta said. “He’s evolving really well. He’s done a few things in the last two days. He wasn’t fit enough to play with the national team the second game but we are hopeful. We have a training session this afternoon, he did some bits yesterday, so let’s see if he can make it on time.”
The positive updates continue with forward Kai Havertz, who was withdrawn from the Germany squad due to a knee problem. Arteta revealed that Havertz has been dealing with some issues but is on the mend and could be available for the upcoming games.
“He had a few issues and we’ve been dealing with that,” Arteta explained. “He’s been absolutely brilliant, he has very good communication with the national team, with the manager. They understood the situation, we modified everything that we could do here and again if he trains well today he’s got a good chance to be fit and available.”
With the return of key players on the horizon, Arsenal fans can look forward to a thrilling and competitive run-in to the season, with the potential to make a serious challenge for the Premier League title.