Odegaard sets target for Arsenal injury comeback | OneFootball

Martin Odegaard is in line for a comeback in Arsenal’s next game against Southampton, according to reports.

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John Cross reports for the Mirror that whilst Martin Odegaard has been absent through injury for Arsenal’s last seven matches, the midfielder was close to a comeback on Sunday, and there’s hope he should be back after the international break.

Odegaard had been struggling with a knee issue, but Cross writes that the problem now appears to have cleared up, and the player should be fit for the run-in.

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Ryan Taylor confirms for Football.London that Odegaard is targeting a return for Arsenal in their next game against Southampton in the FA Cup, after working hard behind the scenes to return to full fitness.

Again, Taylor reports that there was some hope that Odegaard might have even made it back in time for Sunday’s League Cup final. But the decision was eventually made to prioritise Odegaard’s fitness, with the Gunners still having plenty of big games to come over the next two months.

If Odegaard played the League Cup final and reinjured himself, would that have been a good trade, even if Arsenal had won? Potentially sacrificing a better chance at winning the Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup for the sake of the League Cup? It’s hard to say.

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Odegaard was left out of Norway’s squad for the March break, with his national side set to play a couple of friendly matches.

Perhaps Norway would have pushed him to link up with the team if there had been more at stake, but risking his long-term fitness for friendlies would have been ill-advised given the imminent World Cup tournament this summer.