The manager of the Arsenal football club Mikel Arteta would not be a happy man when he hears that his 22-year-old attacking midfielder, Martin Odegaard got injured on Wednesday, March 24, 2021.
Martin Odegaard captained Norway national football team to play a World Cup qualification match against Gibraltar. Before the end of the first half, he went down on the pitch which attracted the attention of the medical team of Norway.
After receiving treatment on the pitch for a couple of minutes, the football star stood up and continued to play in the remaining few minutes of the first half.
However, when the second half resumed, it was noticed that Martin Odegaard didn’t return to the pitch. Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland replaced him as the captain of the team for the remaining 45 minutes.
Before Odegaard was substituted in the game, Norway had scored two goals against Gibraltar. At the end of the game, Norway won Gibraltar 3-0 to go top of the Group G World Cup qualification table.
After the match, reports emanating from the camp of Norway claimed that Martin Odegaard suffered an ankle injury but the extent of the injury has not been confirmed.
If the injury is as serious as it is being speculated in some quarters, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder might not be available for Norway’s World Cup qualification match against Turkey on March 27.
As it stands, Mikel Arteta would hope that the Norway international is fit before April 3, 2021, when the north London club meets with Liverpool football club in a Premier League game.
Since Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid on January 27, 2021, for a loan fee worth €2million, the attacking midfielder has been giving a good account of himself. Since he joined the Premier League club, he has played 8 league games in which he scored a goal. He has also scored a goal in the Europa League for Arsenal.
🇳🇴 Martin Odegaard appreciation tweet.#WHUARS pic.twitter.com/NljSdel2xw
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 21, 2021
He is expected to return to Real Madrid on June 30, 2021, if Arsenal fail to push for his stay at the north London club to be extended.
Meanwhile, before Norway kicked off their game against Gibraltar on Wednesday, the team wore a white T-shirt with the inscription: ‘Human rights “on and off the pitch” to show support for Qatar migrant workers.
Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup and the biggest concern is the issue of Human rights abuse in the country. Many activists have spoken against how the country handles the issue of human rights violation and it is believed that the coming of the World Cup into the country might help to make the country embrace outsiders better.
