Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard won't return to training with the Gunners until later in the week following his involvement with the Norway national team
Martin Odegaard
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard featured for Norway in their 2-1 defeat to Portugal in Porto on Sunday
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Norway boss Stale Solbakken has confirmed Martin Odegaard has been given some days off by Arsenal following his involvement with his country over the international break.
The Gunners captain was one of several players to fly directly back to London last night straight after Norway's 2-1 Nations League defeat to Portugal in Porto.
It's understood Odegaard, Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Fulham midfielder Sander Berge and Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer boarded a private jet from Porto Francisco de Sa Carneiro Airport which landed at Luton in the early hours of the morning.
Solbakken explained after his side suffered their third successive defeat: "They have booked a private plane that you and I cannot.
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"It's not just him [Haaland], there's a whole bunch of people leaving now. They've been given a few days off by their clubs.
"When they have the opportunity to book a private plane, I understand that they do it when they have two or three days off.
"You have to remember that the teams that went far in the World Cup have many players who have had minimal vacation. Then it's right to the start of the series and then a mini-tournament. It's an extreme strain."
Haaland was substituted on 67 minutes after signalling to the bench he could not continue and that will worry Manchester City ahead of their trip to Liverpool on Sunday.
Odegaard also confirmed he'd be heading straight back to the capital following the loss, telling TV2: "Now it's straight home to England."
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta has given his Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard several days of rest
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The 27-year-old played every minute of Norway's four Nations League fixtures over the course of the past two weeks despite suffering an ankle injury problem in the closing stages of the 2-1 defeat to Portugal in Oslo.
His condition will now need to be monitored by Arsenal, particularly with the games coming thick and fast across the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup.
Arsenal host Leeds United in the early kick-off on Saturday lunchtime and Odegaard is not expected to return to training with Mikel Arteta's Premier League champions at Sobha until later in the week.
Meanwhile, defender Ezri Konsa has also returned to Arsenal following a fitness problem and he will not play in England's final Nations League match of the break against Czechia at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
Konsa played for the Three Lions on Saturday in the brutal 7-0 demolition of Croatia in Rijeka after missing the 2-0 win over Czechia in Prague beforehand with an issue sustained against Spain.