Norway boss Stale Solbakken believes Martin Odegaard is carrying an injury after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

The international break may have paused Premier League action for now – but Mikel Arteta will still be keeping a close eye on his players while they fly to link up with their national teams. Odegaard, who did not play at Euro 2024 after Norway failed to qualify, was expected to play in Nations League fixtures against Kazakhstan and Austria during the September break.

However, Solbakken has hinted at a potential injury concern for the Arsenal captain, who suffered a knock during the Gunners’ latest Premier League clash.

“I think it’s another bang,” Solbakken told reporters when asked if Odegaard was suffering from the Brighton fixture. “I was about to say, I think it is something other than the bang, so to speak.”

It has not yet been revealed whether Odegaard will return to fitness in time for Norway’s clash with Kazakhstan on Friday – but Arsenal fans will hope he is back for their upcoming north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.

Arteta will be short of options in midfield after Declan Rice was shown a controversial red card againts Brighton. His one-match ban will see him miss the Spurs fixture, while Fabio Vieira made a loan move to Porto at the end of the summer transfer window.

As it stands, Arteta will have just three senior midfielders to pick from, which may drop to two if Odegaard is ruled out. Thomas Partey has been a regular in his squad this season, despite fans calling to see more of the veteran Jorginho.

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