Martin Odegaard says it was his decision to withdraw from Norway’s international games this week, and he expects to be healthy for Arsenal’s next Premier League match against Nottingham Forest.
Odegaard returned to action as a late substitute in the Champions League defeat to Inter Milan last week, having missing two months with an ankle injury sustained on international duty in September.
The Arsenal captain then started Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea, assisting Gabriel Martinelli’s opening goal and, rather unexpectedly, played the entire 90 minutes.
“I got through the match at the weekend, but it was a rather abrupt transition from the last nine weeks,” he admitted. “In this kind of process, you don’t just go from being injured to suddenly being completely healthy.”
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Odegaard was initially left out of Norway’s Nations League games against Slovenia and Kazakhstan, which take place during the year’s last international break.
After playing against the Blues, he traveled to Oslo to join Ståle Solbakken’s squad. However, he returned to London after it was determined that he was better off completing his recuperation at his club.
“You tend to have a reaction to what happens, and then it’s all about how you react to it,” Odegaard told Norway’s TV2. “We discussed it with the NFF’s medical team and decided that it would be best for me to return and complete my recuperation.
“We had an open and pleasant talk. Since my injury, I’ve been speaking with Ståle more frequently, especially in recent weeks. This isn’t about what Arsenal or Ståle have said. It is about my current predicament.
The Gunners had missed Odegaard’s flair during his exile, and manager Mikel Arteta described his instant impact on his return to Chelsea as “unbelievable”.
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