Mikel Arteta has hinted that Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is close to returning from his ankle injury injury which has kept him sidelined since September.
The creative midfielder has been missing since suffering a knock on international form with Norway last month, although the Gunners remain unbeaten in his absence and have won their last four games in a row.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken had given a precautionary update in the national team’s final break as reports of a setback fueled fear among Arsenal’s fan base, but those rumors quickly faded with a comeback in November still the target.
The Premier League The title contenders visit Bournemouth on Saturday night and despite ruling their captain out of the competition this weekend, Arteta suggested Odegaard is nearing the end of his rehabilitation phase.
Speaking at Friday morning’s press conference, the Spaniard said: “He won’t be fit for this game. Next week will be a different story. He needs to clear some markers by doing things with the ball in this last stage of his rehabilitation Next week will be crucial.”
arsenal They have four more games to play before the end of October, with Premier League clashes against Bournemouth and Liverpool along with a Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk and a Carabao Cup trip to Preston North End.
The Gunners face Newcastle United, Inter and Chelsea in early November and Odegaard’s potential availability for any or all of those games would be a huge boost for Arteta, who also gave the update of Bukayo Saka.
The side he had to withdraw from the English selection after being substituted during the defeat to Greece, but could still feature prominently in Saturday’s game after Arteta revealed he had avoided any serious injury.
He added: “It’s not a serious injury. He’s developing well. He was probably good enough to play with the national team’s second game. We have big tests today, so we’re hopeful.”
