Report reveals real reason Odegaard missed recent Arsenal matches amid Norway boss frustration

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard missed their recent matches against Newcastle United and Sevilla because of concussion, according to reports.

The Gunners midfielder, who has taken a little bit of stick this season, has been missing for their last three Premier League matches and their last Champions League clash against Sevilla.

Odegaard has on ongoing hip issue but his absence towards the start of the month against Newcastle was particularly curious as he was pictured in training the day before, while Mikel Arteta made no mention of an injury in his pre-match press conference.

And now the Daily Mail has explained that the Norway international‘s omission against Newcastle and Sevilla was ‘due to concussion after being hit in the face with a ball in training’.

With strict concussion rules in place, it left Arsenal no choice but to leave him out of those two matches while he was also absent from their squad against Burnley.

Odegaard will now miss Norway’s upcoming international fiixtures versus the Faroe Islands and Scotland but the Daily Mail adds ‘that decision is believed to be linked to his original hip problem’.

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Norway boss Stale Solbakken played down the severity of Odegaard’s injury but admitted Arsenal have remained coy with them over the exact details.

“The club [Arsenal] are so reserved about it so I don’t know how much I should say about it,” Solbakken said in a press conference on Monday.

“I have known all about the injury so I’ve never really planned on having Martin.

“We took him in the squad because at that time there was hope that he could play against Sevilla or Burnley at the weekend.

“But when it became clear early in the week that he probably wouldn’t make it, we stopped planning with him.’

Solbakken added: “I can say that it is a very normal football injury that you’ll very likely recover from completely.

“It’s not career-threatening! He will play many more international matches for Norway.”

Solbakken is still hoping that Odegaard can be part of the group and show his support to his international team-mates by watching the match against the Faroe Islands on Thursday.

“He is going to have an individual programme for a few days now,” Solbakken continued.

“Then we hope he will come to watch the game against the Faroe Islands and can be with us for the entirety of Friday. That’s the plan.”