Norway boss Ståle Solbakken is unhappy with Arsenal star Martin Ødegaard’s injury woes.
The midfielder last made an appearance in Arsenal’s derby win over Tottenham Hotspur on February 22nd and has been on the sidelines with a knee injury.
He’s struggled with injuries and fitness. To put it in context, the 27-year-old is now out of action with his fifth injury of this season.
This has forced him to miss 121 days and 22 matches for Mikel Arteta’s side since the start of the campaign, limiting his minutes and appearances.
Matches in all competitions: 27
Minutes in all competitions: 1, 405
Premier League matches: 20
PL starts: 13
PL minutes per game: 54
Earlier this month, Sport Witness covered claims from Norway that his injury situation is causing worry.
He suffered his second injury of this season in October, right before the international break that month. This kept him out for 53 days, forcing him to miss the national team’s three World Cup qualifiers in October and November.
The Arsenal star last made an appearance for his country in September 2025.
Dagbladet now cover Ødegaard’s knee problem. They’ve also spoken to Solbakken to discuss his injury situation.
Concern over Arsenal player’s knee
The national team manager says it hurts not to count on the former Real Madrid man in the last three international breaks. The player is also disappointed with his situation.
“He is very frustrated and grumpy. He has not been involved since we beat Moldova 11-1. It is his last international match. He was not on the field against Israel, Estonia or Italy. It is clear that it hurts,” he said.
Ødegaard, who is struggling with a knee issue, missed the last two international breaks with the problem.
When asked whether there’s a ‘link’ between these two injuries, Solbakken explained: “I actually don’t know.”
At the weekend, Arteta said it could take weeks before the Gunners captain regains full fitness.
Solbakken has shared his take on when the Norway international could possibly return. He also ruled out Ødegaard joining the national team camp in Oslo.
“Now it’s three weeks until Arsenal play again. Or 2.5 weeks. I think it could be a goal for Martin to be in a squad then. It’s within reach,” he added.
“There is no reason for him to travel now. He has to train. If he wants to use a day off to come here, he is welcome to do so. But it is not something that has been planned.”
Norway fixtures for March international break
Friendly v Netherlands [away] on March 27
Friendly v Switzerland [home] on March 31st
With Ødegaard missing these fixtures, Solbakken will be hoping for him to play some matches with Arsenal this season.
This would certainly help Norway for the World Cup. They need the midfielder to be firing on all engines ahead of the tournament this summer, and the Gunners star will hope he can take a Premier League title medal with him.
There’s a balance to be made at the moment, between what is best for the London club and what gets Ødegaard in best shape for the tournament.
🇩🇰 Darío Osorio | Bournemouth take lead in youngster chase ➡️ Trying to beat Liverpool, Arsenal and othershttps://t.co/8JsTRDaWcI #afcb #lfc #afc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 21, 2026