“Small setback” – NT manager confirms fresh injury blow to Arsenal player

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is likely to be without Martin Ødegaard for a short spell. 

The Norway international has struggled with multiple injuries this season. To put it in context, he was already out of action on five different occasions, missing 121 days and 23 matches for Arsenal.

Last weekend, the midfielder came back from a knee problem he suffered in the derby win over Tottenham Hotspur in February.

He started in the FA Cup defeat to Southampton and also in the Gunners’ 1-0 Champions League win over Sporting. On Tuesday, the former Real Madrid man had to leave the pitch at the 70th minute due to an injury.

TV2 expert Jesper Mathisen was concerned about the Arsenal star’s latest setback.

He said: “Those are scary images. Like watching a horror movie. A nightmare. He’s not sitting down for no reason. It would have been a big loss for both Arsenal and Norway if he had to go out with an injury again.”

Confirmation of Arsenal star’s fresh setback

Earlier today, Norway manager Ståle Solbakken attended a Football Conference 2026 at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadium.

This gave the Norwegian media an opportunity to have a chat with him and Dagbladet have relayed his comments on Martin Ødegaard.

The national team manager confirms the fresh setback for the Arsenal player while insists it isn’t a serious one.

“He [Ødegaard] got a little one [injury] where he shouldn’t have, but I don’t think it’s anything serious. He’ll be on the field in the near future. It was a small setback, and we don’t need any more of them,” he said.

Our take: Not what Arsenal needed

Mikel Arteta is already without a few injured players and Martin Ødegaard now joins the list.

The 27-year-old’s setback comes at a crucial stage of the season for Arsenal, who are in the race to win the title and are also in contention to win the Champions League.

Ståle Solbakken says his setback isn’t serious. However, it’s concerning for Arsenal until the end of the season and Norway ahead of the World Cup.

The midfielder has played 1,536 minutes from 26 matches this season, managing one goal and six assists.