It’s been a tumultuous few days for Mikel Arteta’s title chasers, but there has been some rare positive injury news for Arsenal.
Arsenal deal with a spate of injury concerns during international break
It’s been a week that tested the nerves of every Arsenal supporter.
They headed to Wembley on Sunday full of belief and watched as Nico O’Reilly headed home twice in quick succession as Man City won 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final.
With Martin Odegaard not leading the charge in midfield and Ebelesi Eze and Julian Timber also unavailable, Arsenal only created half a goal’s worth of chances throughout the game.
It was a flat, labored performance. It was the kind of performance that can be produced when key players are absent and fatigue accumulates.
Then the real worry began.
In the hours and days following the final defeat at Wembley, injury announcements piled up one after the other in a manner that felt almost cruel in its timing.
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The manager couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Wembley.
Eze, who had already missed the Wembley game, has been ruled out of the England squad due to a calf problem and reports suggest he could be out for up to six weeks.
Arteta gave a worrying update on the extent of the problem after the game, confirming he would need another scan in the coming days.
Timber also missed the final due to a severe ankle injury and was withdrawn from the Dutch national team.
Next came William Saliba. He played the full 90 minutes at Wembley, but his efforts paid off when the French Football Federation confirmed he had suffered a recurrence of his left ankle and would be required to rest for at least 10 days.
Gabriel followed, withdrawing from the Brazil squad after feeling discomfort in his knee during the final.
Leandro Trossard also left the Belgium set-up with a hip problem.
Including Odegaard, six first-team players and six players were withdrawn from international action in the space of 48 hours.
This is a tough situation for a club who are fighting on three fronts: the Premier League title, the Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP, and the FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton on April 4.
But amidst the gloom, there is some truly heartening updates on what matters most.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard ready to return after international break
According to the BBC’s Sami Mokbel, there is a genuine hope that Odegaard will be available immediately after the international break, with the Southampton FA Cup draw being tipped as a possible return match.
The Arsenal captain was reportedly close to being included in the squad for the Carabao Cup final, but the club took the prudent decision to keep him rather than risk a setback.
He has missed seven games in a row with a knee problem, which first appeared at Brentford in February, and his absence has been felt.
Norway coach Starre Solbakken was candid about the situation: “Odegaard will not be joining his country’s national team, but that is by design.”
“There’s no reason for him to travel now. He has to train,” Solbakken said, adding that the 27-year-old was “very frustrated and in a bad mood” due to the suspension of the season.
The frustration is understandable since he only started 13 games league-wide.
If Odegaard were to return against Southampton, Arsenal’s creative fortunes would change dramatically.
They’ve managed to get by without him, but coming back from back-to-backs will definitely be a boost.
There is a two-and-a-half week international break left between Arsenal and the decisive period of the season. The hope is that some of the six absentees will recover and Odegaard will lead the way to a return.
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