{"id":1916,"date":"2026-04-03T08:03:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T08:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=1916"},"modified":"2026-04-03T08:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T08:03:17","slug":"arsenal-fitness-concern-martin-odegaard-injury-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=1916","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal fitness concern: Martin \u00d8degaard injury update"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Arsenal captain Martin \u00d8degaard is once again at the centre of growing concern, with questions emerging over his fitness and long-term durability.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Mikel Arteta\u2019s side continue to compete across multiple competitions, the Norwegian midfielder remains sidelined.<\/p>\n

\u00d8degaard\u2019s absence during the recent international break has only intensified the discussion, and with conflicting views emerging from within Norway\u2019s setup, the situation is becoming one to monitor closely as the season enters its decisive phase.<\/p>\n

Martin \u00d8degaard injury update Arsenal and Norway concerns<\/h3>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00d8degaard has not completed a full match for Arsenal since December 30, with only a brief 13-minute appearance against Tottenham in late February marking his last outing.<\/p>\n

The ongoing knee issue has kept him out of action, raising concerns about both his short-term availability and longer-term fitness.<\/p>\n

His absence from Norway\u2019s latest squad has only added to the uncertainty surrounding his recovery timeline.<\/p>\n

Martin \u00d8degaard fitness concerns<\/h3>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n

Former Norway international Kjetil Rekdal has openly voiced his worries about the situation. He said: \u201cOf course it is worrying. We have to remember that he played senior football when he was 15 years old. I am not saying that it does. But it could mean that the wear and tear is starting to take its toll on his body.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Rekdal went further, suggesting that the early start to \u00d8degaard\u2019s career could impact his longevity. \u201cMaybe he does not have such a long career in his 30s and up, like others who started senior football later. It could be bad luck, but he has had a lot of breaks now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It is a perspective that raises broader questions about workload and long-term player management.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite \u00d8degaard\u2019s absence, Arsenal have continued to push forward. They remain firmly in contention domestically and in Europe, showing an ability to adapt without their captain.<\/p>\n

Rekdal pointed to this as a potential opportunity from a Norway perspective, suggesting that \u00d8degaard may benefit from focusing on regaining full fitness ahead of the summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cArsenal seem to be heading towards a potential league title without Martin at the moment,\u201d<\/em> he noted, hinting that a carefully managed return could serve both club and country.<\/p>\n

Norway manager stance on Martin \u00d8degaard injury recovery<\/h3>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n

In contrast, Norway manager St\u00e5le Solbakken struck a far more optimistic tone. He insisted there is no major concern over \u00d8degaard\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am confident in him. He is very much in the game now. He has less and less pain. Hopefully he plays one of the next Arsenal games, and then it will roll out on its own.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Solbakken also dismissed suggestions that \u00d8degaard\u2019s early career start is a factor, pointing instead to isolated incidents rather than long-term wear.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: Martin \u00d8degaard\u2019s situation highlights the fine margins at this stage of the season. While external concern continues to grow, there is still confidence within Norway\u2019s camp that he will return soon. For Arsenal, the priority remains clear\u2014ensure their captain is fully fit before reintroducing him, even as the stakes continue to rise.<\/p>\n

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Arsenal captain Martin \u00d8degaard is once again at the centre of growing concern, with questions emerging over his fitness and long-term durability. While Mikel Arteta\u2019s side continue to compete across multiple competitions, the Norwegian midfielder remains sidelined. \u00d8degaard\u2019s absence during the recent international break has only intensified the discussion, and with conflicting views emerging from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}