Martin Odegaard’s international break has taken an uncomfortable turn, with the Arsenal captain missing Norway training after picking up an ankle problem against Portugal.
Odegaard is now a doubt for Norway’s Nations League meeting with Wales on Thursday after being on the receiving end of a late challenge from Bernardo Silva during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat.
The incident occurred deep into stoppage time after the ball had already been played. Silva, the former Manchester City midfielder, caught Odegaard from behind, leaving the Arsenal star furious.
Silva was shown a yellow card for the challenge, while Odegaard later made his feelings clear, saying that such tackles “doesn’t belong on a football pitch”.
Norway assistant coach Brede Hangeland was equally critical of the incident, describing the tackle as “ugly” and referring to it as an example of “dirty play”.
The immediate concern is now Odegaard’s fitness.
According to TV2, the Arsenal midfielder was unable to join his Norway teammates in training on Tuesday because of the impact of the tackle. However, Hangeland has not ruled him out of Thursday’s fixture, insisting there is still enough time for the midfielder to recover.
Hangeland said: “I was in the breakfast room drinking coffee. He was happy. He was in less pain today than yesterday. As I see it, there’s a very long time until the match – two and a half days. A lot can happen in that time.”
That assessment will offer some relief to Norway, particularly with Odegaard having an important role in their midfield.
The 2-1 loss to Portugal was a setback, but Norway will now turn their attention to Wales with the hope that their captain can recover in time to feature.
For Arsenal, however, Odegaard’s situation will be closely monitored from afar. The midfielder is a key figure for Mikel Arteta, and any injury picked up during international duty could create another headache for the Premier League side.
Odegaard is not the only Arsenal-related injury concern to emerge during this international window. Germany forward Kai Havertz has also been forced to leave the national team camp after suffering a muscle strain.
With club football waiting on the other side of the international break, Arsenal will be hoping Odegaard’s latest scare proves to be nothing more than a temporary setback.
For now, Norway remain hopeful.
There are still two and a half days before the Wales clash, and as Hangeland pointed out, plenty can change before kick-off.
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