Arsenal hopeful on Odegaard timeframe despite MCL injury | OneFootball

Arsenal are hopeful that Martin Odegaard will only require weeks on the sidelines rather than months, according to a report.

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Following Arsenal’s confirmation on Sunday that Martin Odegaard has suffered an MCL injury and has withdrawn from international duty, The Guardian report that the club are hopeful the player will be out for weeks rather than months.

Arsenal didn’t specify the severity of Odegaard’s MCL injury, with the exact grade determining how long he’ll be out.

Dr. Rajpal Brar writes that a grade 1 injury typically means 1-2 weeks out, a grade 2 injury generally means 4-6 weeks, and grade 3 means 10+ weeks.

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Dr. Brar adds that a grade 3 injury is highly doubtful in this case, given how the injury occurred. He also mentions that as the MCL is highly vascularised, it usually heals well, but bone bruising can extend the timelines.

The fact that Odegaard was seen leaving the Emirates Stadium wearing a knee brace would have been a precautionary decision, and doesn’t necessarily indicate a more serious injury.

In the best-case scenario, a grade 1 injury could even make a return for Odegaard immediately after the international break a possibility. The Fulham game at Craven Cottage will be two weeks after he suffered the injury.

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In the case of a grade 2 injury, Odegaard wouldn’t be back before the Burnley match on November 1st, and could even be out until after the November international break.

That would mean missing games against Fulham (A), Atletico Madrid (H), Crystal Palace (H), Brighton (H), Burnley (A), Slavia Praha (A), and Sunderland (A), but it’s unlikely the midfielder would still be out by the time Arsenal play Spurs on November 23rd, over seven weeks after the injury.

If it’s the more unlikely grade 3 injury, Odegaard would be out until mid-December at the earliest. Arsenal fans will be keeping fingers crossed that the 26-year-old avoids that outcome.