Martin Odegaard has been left out of the Norway squad for their upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Switzerland, although manager Stale Solbakken says he may revisit the decision if the midfielder features for Arsenal in this weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
Odegaard injured his knee while trying to prevent Keane Lewis-Potter from scoring for Brentford during last month’s 1-1 draw at the Gtech. He missed the following game against Wolves but was deemed fit enough for a cameo off the bench against Sp*rs, even setting up a late goal for Viktor Gyokeres. That brief appearance led to a setback, and he has not featured since, missing the last seven games across three competitions.
Having also dealt with shoulder issues and a separate knee problem earlier in the season, Odegaard has been limited to just 1,405 minutes so far this campaign. For context, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi have each played around 2,000 minutes more, roughly the equivalent of 22 full matches.
Odegaard has not played for Norway since September, when he scored and assisted twice in an 11-1 win over Moldova. In his absence, his country secured qualification for the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
Facing the media on Wednesday, Solbakken said: “If it turns out that he makes it into the League Cup final squad, we will make a new assessment.
“I would prefer him to build his physique and get a proper training period.
“He may get opportunities to do that during this national team period. So if he calls and says he’s okay, I’m still not sure I want him here.
“He is desperate to be in these training sessions and be ready. But we have to take the long view. It is the World Cup that counts, not friendly matches in March.”
Writing in the official matchday programme ahead of the win over Bayer Leverkusen, Odegaard added: “I’m working hard to be back as soon as I can, and I’m feeling stronger all the time.”
Whether he is ready for Wembley remains unclear. We will likely have a better idea when Arteta faces the media on Friday.