Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has delivered a major injury update whilst on international duty with Norway.
The Gunners have been hit with a number of injury concerns ahead of a busy month of October with plenty of key players away on international duty at present. Odegaard had picked up a calf injury prior to the international break and Mikel Arteta's squad looked to be getting thinner by the day.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Cedric Soares, Reiss Nelson, Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey joined the Norway international in being an injury concern ahead of the north London derby, but it looks as though a few players will be fit for the clash against Tottenham, football.london understands. Odegaard has received lots of praise for his performances so far this season and his potential absence from the game against Spurs would be a major blow for Arteta.
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The 23-year-old playmaker has handed the Gunners a major injury boost after admitting he expects to play a part in Norway's game against Slovenia this afternoon. When asked by TV2 if he expects to start, Odegaard said: "We can hope so.
"It feels good so far. Yes [if he is ready to start], I would like to think so."
Norway boss Ståle Solbakken shares Odegaard's confidence and revealed that the Arsenal captain trained on Friday ahead of Norway's Nations League game against Slovenia. In his press conference on Friday, Solbakken said: "Martin Odegaard trained today. If he [Odegaard] wakes up tomorrow as he feels today, there is a good chance that he will play."
The news that Odegaard is training and expected to be involved in the match on Saturday afternoon comes as a huge positive for Arteta with the Gunners' boss facing a number of injury concerns elsewhere in his squad. Thomas Partey was left out of Ghana's defeat to Brazil but it was only thought to be a precautionary measure taken by the medical staff.
Arsenal play nine games in the month of October as they look to stay top of the Premier League and qualify from their Europa League group. Huge fixtures against Spurs and Liverpool are followed by important games against Bodo/Glimt, Leeds, PSV, Southampton and Nottingham Forest.
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