Arsenal star forced to withdraw from international squad

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been forced to withdraw from Norway's international squad ahead of November's UEFA Nations League fixtures as he tries to fully recover from an ankle injury.

The talismanic playmaker sat out for two months after spraining his ankle while playing for Norway in September, forcing him to miss 12 Arsenal matches. The Gunners desperately struggled in the absence of their skipper, losing to Bournemouth and Newcastle United without scoring.

Odegaard was afforded a brief cameo in another defeat last Wednesday, playing just a handful of stoppage-time minutes against Inter in the Champions League, before surprisingly starting during Arsenal's trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The 25-year-old created Gabriel Martinelli's opener and played the full 90 minutes of the 1-1 draw.

Norway boss Stale Solbakken called Odegaard up for his side's Nations League matches against Slovenia and Kazakhstan. The national team's skipper travelled to Oslo but will not be available for the upcoming fixtures.

"After discussions with the medical staff at the national team, we have unfortunately concluded that the situation is not good enough to play these matches," Odegaard told the Norwegian national team's official website. "I've been through a long training period and when you haven't practiced football in the last nine weeks, it's natural not to be 100% yet.

"I need to listen to my body, complete this rehab process and get my foot back in good shape. The hope has always been to be able to play the national matches, and if I hadn't played on Sunday, it would have been out of the question to participate anyway."

Norway top a competitive Group B3 in the Nations League as they target promotion into League A. "It's a very bad feeling to lose these games," Odegaard admitted. "I love playing for Norway and with this team. But I have great faith in the boys and wish them the best of luck - there are still good opportunities to win the group."

Manager Solbakken added: "We knew that there was a risk that Martin would not be ready. He has had a strong desire to take part in the matches, but we cannot risk his health. So I am sure that the boys are ready to give their all in the games that await us and that many will step up in his absence."

Odegaard is not the only Arsenal player skipping the November international break. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice both pulled out of England's squad ahead of Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

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