Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard left the pitch in distress after suffering what appeared to be a serious ankle injury during Norway’s 2-1 victory over Austria in the UEFA Nations League on Monday. The midfielder was forced to exit the game after a collision with Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner in the second half.
Following the incident, Norway’s manager Stale Solbakken expressed concern about the severity of the injury. “Martin Odegaard’s injury looked bad in the dressing room as well. I saw he was sitting with the physiotherapists around him, but he had no chance to continue. We know it was an ankle sprain,” Solbakken said to Norwegian TV 2.
The coach added, “Yes it’s a sprain, and as those of us who have played football know, with luck it can turn out ok if the ligaments aren’t torn.”
Norway’s doctor, Ola Sand, provided a more optimistic update, stating that Odegaard was doing well despite the sprain. “Martin is doing quite well now. He got a small ankle sprain. We will see throughout the evening and tomorrow what happens next and what we will do about it. Ankle sprains are difficult to deal with straight away, so we almost have to see how things go forward. We will examine him when we are back at the hotel. Maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow,” Sand said.
Norway’s win against Austria propelled them to second place in League B Group 3, level on points with Slovenia. Their next match is scheduled for October 10th against Slovenia.
Odegaard’s injury will be a major concern for Arsenal, who will be hoping for a quick recovery for their captain ahead of the upcoming Premier League season. Further updates regarding the severity of the sprain and Odegaard’s expected recovery timeline are awaited.
