Martin Ødegaard has provided an update on his knee injury, describing his recovery as “going really well” while admitting that setting a return date remains difficult due to the unpredictable nature of the problem.
The Arsenal captain suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee during the 2-0 win over West Ham on 4 October. The incident came from a knee-on-knee collision in the first half, and although Ødegaard initially tried to play on, he was forced off as the pain intensified.
Scans later confirmed mild ligament damage that did not require surgery but did rule him out for several weeks.
Writing in his captain’s notes ahead of the 4-0 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, Ødegaard explained: “I had a few days off after the West Ham game, because I couldn’t do much work and had to rest my knee anyway, so I went to Norway.
“But I’ve been back for a week now and working every day to keep my fitness up as well as trying to heal the injury, so it’s busy days at the moment.”
He described the moment of injury, saying: “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.”
Ødegaard confirmed that the knee remains sore when he begins to put more pressure on it in training. “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.
“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.”
Manager Mikel Arteta has already described the midfielder’s absence as “weeks, not months,” but he appears to be ruled him out until after the November international break. That timeline would make the north London derby against Tottenham later that month a realistic target for his return, all being well.
In the meantime, Ødegaard has remained a constant presence at London Colney, supporting his teammates. “I’m there at Sobha every day around the team,” he said. “I’m in the meetings, I’m at the games so I’m definitely around and helping in a different way. I’m just trying to see if the team needs anything or if I see something when I’m watching.”
Although frustrated to be missing key fixtures, Ødegaard said he was determined to play his part from the sidelines. “I’m so disappointed not to be playing because these are the big Champions League nights that we all love playing,” he said. “But I’m working hard, and I think we’ll know more when I start getting back on the training pitches. If that goes really well then it can be quick.”
Ødegaard’s injury is his third setback of the season after earlier issues with his shoulder, but his rehabilitation remains on track.