Appearing to have twisted his ankle, the Arsenal midfielder was forced to leave the pitch prematurely during Norway’s opening World Cup qualifier.
Stale Solbakken insists Martin Odegaard hasn’t suffered a “serious injury” and is expecting to call upon the player for Norway’s second World Cup qualifier against Turkey on Saturday.
Odegaard took to the pitch as the Norway captain for the very first time in the clash with Gibraltar on Wednesday.
The night, however, ended on a bad note for the midfielder as couldn’t even last the entire first half. He required treatment on the field after picking up an ankle knock five minutes before the break and was eventually replace by Erling Haaland at half-time.
The 22-year-old’s injury sparked fear among the Arsenal camp for he has become a key cog in their team and his absence would be a blow for Mikel Areta’s side and their hopes of a top-six Premier League finish.
However, the Norway boss has calmed those fears by playing down the severity of Odegaard’s fitness issue.
“I have a big hope that Martin will be fit for the game against Turkey on Saturday,” said Solbakken after his side’s comfortable 3-0 win.
“Not a serious injury.”
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