Arsenal sent worrying Martin Odegaard injury update by Norway manager

Norway manager Stale Solbakken has confessed Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard is "far away" from being in contention for an international call-up.

Odegaard went down with an ankle injury during the September international break and admitted he was "scared" by the severity of his latest blow, for which a formal recovery timeline has not been made public.

Odegaard was never expected to be called up for this latest squad, but Solbakken confessed upon the revelation of his call-ups that the Arsenal midfielder was not even in his thoughts, such is the significance of his injury.

"He is far from being in the squad," Solbakken told the media. "We will see how far he gets during this national team break. I have known for quite some time that he was not relevant for this gathering."

Solbakken did, however, suggest Odegaard could still be asked to join up with the Norway squad to offer some of his leadership.

"It is possible that he will come, but it depends a bit on his rehab - how he fits in there," Solbakken explained. "I haven't spoken to him for four or five days."

Odegaard has already spent four weeks on the sidelines but reports suggest he could need at least another eight to get back to full strength.

READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP