Arsenal star Martin Odegaard has revealed his return could be 'quick' if his rehabilitation continues to go 'really well'. But the Gunners captain refused to set a timeline for his return amid some uncertainty over how it could unfold. Odegaard picked up the issue against West Ham United and was forced to miss international duty with Norway. The 26-year-old injured the medial collateral ligament in his left knee , and Mikel Arteta has previously noted his charge will be out for weeks. The former Real Madrid ace is expected to be out of action until after the November international break . That could see him return in time for the north London derby on November 23. And now, Odegaard has spoken out about his injury. The midfielder appears confident in his work so far but cautious over his progress. The playmaker anticipates being able to offer a clearer picture when he returns to the pitch. In part, that is down to the location of his injury. "It's tricky to set a return date with this type of injury because, especially it being my left leg, a lot depends on how it goes when I start getting back on the pitch," said Odegaard in his programme notes. "Sometimes it can be quite sore when you start passing the ball and shooting and all these things with that leg, so it’s really hard to say a date. "All I can say is I'm progressing really well at the moment. I think we will know more when I start getting back on the training pitches and we'll see how that goes. If that goes really well then it can be quick." Odegaard believes he has been unfortunate to suffer so many setbacks this season. The captain has already missed games through a shoulder injury. "It's hard work and long days in recovery, but that’s what you want and I feel like it’s going well so far," Odegaard explained. "I feel like I’ve been really unlucky a few times this season. "It was a knee-to-knee contact in the West Ham game, and at the time I didn’t know if it was bad or not because they can be quite painful, but normally you can run it off. So that's why I tried to keep going, to see if it was getting better. "I was hoping it was just a knock that would improve in a couple of minutes. But it didn't get better and I felt like something was wrong, so in the end it was better to come off. "As soon as we got inside, the medical team had a proper look at it. When the adrenaline stopped flowing and it settled down a bit, then it was quite sore." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Martin Odegaard admits injury is 'tricky' in Arsenal fitness update
Arsenal star Martin Odegaard has revealed his return could be 'quick' if his rehabilitation continues to go 'really well'. But the Gunners captain refused to set a timeline for his return amid some uncertainty over how it could unfold. Odegaard picked up the issue against West Ham United and was forced to miss international duty with Norway. The 26-year-old injured the medial collateral ligament in his left knee , and Mikel Arteta has previously noted his charge will be out for weeks. The former Real Madrid ace is expected to be out of action until after the November international break . That could see him return in time for the north London derby on November 23. And now, Odegaard has spoken out about his injury. The midfielder appears confident in his work so far but cautious over his progress. The playmaker anticipates being able to offer a clearer picture when he returns to the pitch. In part, that is down to the location of his injury. "It's tricky to set a return date with this type of injury because, especially it being my left leg, a lot depends on how it goes when I start getting back on the pitch," said Odegaard in his programme notes. "Sometimes it can be quite sore when you start passing the ball and shooting and all these things with that leg, so it’s really hard to say a date. "All I can say is I'm progressing really well at the moment. I think we will know more when I start getting back on the training pitches and we'll see how that goes. If that goes really well then it can be quick." Odegaard believes he has been unfortunate to suffer so many setbacks this season. The captain has already missed games through a shoulder injury. "It's hard work and long days in recovery, but that’s what you want and I feel like it’s going well so far," Odegaard explained. "I feel like I’ve been really unlucky a few times this season. "It was a knee-to-knee contact in the West Ham game, and at the time I didn’t know if it was bad or not because they can be quite painful, but normally you can run it off. So that's why I tried to keep going, to see if it was getting better. "I was hoping it was just a knock that would improve in a couple of minutes. But it didn't get better and I felt like something was wrong, so in the end it was better to come off. "As soon as we got inside, the medical team had a proper look at it. When the adrenaline stopped flowing and it settled down a bit, then it was quite sore." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
