Major Arsenal injury boost 'within reach' as promising new update revealed

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Evening Standard

·24 de março de 2026

Major Arsenal injury boost 'within reach' as promising new update revealed

Gunners should be in line for key return ahead of FA Cup and Champions League quarter-final ties

Martin Odegaard’s return to Arsenal action is “within reach” according to Norway manager Stale Solbakken, who says the player has been “very frustrated and grumpy” during his latest injury lay-off.

It has been a hugely frustrating season so far for Odegaard, who has spent extended periods on the sidelines with recurring shoulder and knee problems.

Hopes that he would return for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final proved unfounded despite being spotted in training on the eve of the game, with the midfielder missing his seventh match in a row across all competitions as the Gunners went down 2-0 to Premier League title rivals Manchester City at Wembley.

Vídeos OneFootball

Odegaard suffered a knee issue in the draw at Brentford last month and sat out two games before returning off the bench with an assist in the north London derby thrashing of Tottenham, but has not featured since.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said ahead of the final that Odegaard and defender Jurrien Timber were both still “a couple of weeks away” from making their respective comebacks, which could put them in line to return after the current international break either in the FA Cup quarter-final trip to Southampton on April 4, or the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie against Sporting in Lisbon three days later.

Odegaard was not called up by Norway for upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Switzerland, making it more than six months since he last played for his country - in the 11-1 thrashing of Moldova in Oslo in September, a game in which he scored.

Though he has been around the camp at times, Odegaard has not been fit enough to play and missed fixtures in both October and November as Norway - spearheaded by the goals of Erling Haaland - eventually booked their first World Cup finals berth since France 98.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard last played for World Cup-bound Norway in September

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A new update on the player, who captains both Arsenal and his country, has now been provided by Solbakken, who insisted that it would not make sense for Odegaard to join up with his squad as he focuses on getting back to action for Arsenal.

"He is very frustrated and grumpy. He has not been involved since we beat Moldova 11-1. It is his last international match," Solbakken told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.

"He was not on the field against Israel, Estonia or Italy. It is clear that it hurts.

"Now it is three weeks until Arsenal play again, or two-and-a-half weeks. I think it could be a goal for Martin to be in a squad (for his club) then. It is within reach.

"There is no reason for him to travel now. He has to train (with Arsenal).

"If he wants to use a day off to come here, he is welcome to do so, but it is not something that has been planned."

Arsenal have a number of new injury issues to monitor following the Carabao Cup final, with Gabriel, William Saliba, Timber and Leandro Trossard having all withdrawn from international duty along with England’s Eberechi Eze, who missed the game with a calf problem. Mikel Merino is a long-term absentee after foot surgery, meanwhile.