A member of the Arsenal squad has opened up about the fear he’s experienced as he gets treated for a “bad” injury, with the player also working hard to get back to full fitness.
Arsenal players sidelined through injury
Mikel Arteta is currently without a few key players, and they’ve done well to come through what has been a testing period undefeated.
Arsenal beat Tottenham 1-0, courtesy of a goal from Gabriel Magalhaes, with goalkeeper David Raya taking all the headlines in Bergamo as the north Londoners grabbed their first Champions League point of the season against Atalanta..
They also came away from the Etihad Stadium with a 2-2 draw, and they could’ve even won the clash. Arsenal were leading Man City 2-1 for the majority of the game and did well to hold them when down to 10, but John Stones’ dramatic late leveller meant they had to settle for a draw.
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Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Leicester City (home) |
September 28 |
|
Southampton (home) |
October 5 |
|
Bournemouth (away) |
October 19 |
|
Liverpool (home) |
October 27 |
|
Newcastle United (away) |
November 2 |
These results have been made all the more impressive considering Mikel Merino is sidelined with a fractured shoulder, while left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has been out for weeks after his calf injury.
Takehiro Tomiyasu is still out with a knee injury as well, and David Raya, Jurrien Timber and Ben White are doubts to face Leicester City as well. Kieran Tierney remains absent with a thigh problem too, so Arteta has a bit of an injury crisis right now.
There is also their biggest miss, £30 million club captain and chief creator Martin Odegaard, who suffered ankle ligament damage on international duty with Norway.
Odegaard admits to fear after “bad” ankle injury
Sharing his own update, Odegaard has shed light on his “bad” ankle injury at Arsenal, all while explaining how his recovery is coming along as he hopes to return as soon as possible.
“It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there,” said Odegaard in his programme notes pre-Bolton.
“But it’s part of football and now I’m just trying to recover as quickly as I can. I’m moving forward, making progress and I’m feeling more positive every day. I’m working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible.
“I’m at the Sobha Realty Training Centre basically every day now, working hard and doing everything I can do to get better. I have to be careful not to push it too much, but at the same time do what I can to make sure I come back as strongly and quickly as possible. I’m trying to support the team in a different way now, if I can’t be on the pitch. That’s my situation, and I have to make the best out of it.
“It’s something I’m not used to. I’ve been quite fortunate, if that’s the word, or have done well to avoid injuries in the past, but this is football and I have to get on with it. I think it was unfortunate to get the injury in the way that I did, but also it could have been worse. It was not a nice twist, and when it happened I felt it could be serious. I’ve injured my ankle before and the pain felt a bit different this time. That’s what scared me, but from what happened it could have been worse, so in that sense I got away with it a bit.
“Like any player, the first thing I asked the medical team was how long I would be out for, but it’s a bit tricky to say at the moment. In the early stages, it’s crucial to get a proper rest and to make sure everything heals well. After that it’s about getting stronger and building it up again.”
