Reason behind Martin Odegaard's Arsenal absence revealed and when player could return

Arsenal have been without club captain Martin Odegaard for the last four matches in all competitions and he hasn’t featured for the Gunners in the Premier League since a 2-2 draw against Chelsea on 21 October.

At the time it was initially reported that the Norwegian international was suffering from a hip problem, which ruled him out of his side’s 5-0 victory against Sheffield United. Odegaard was hopeful of making a return for his side’s crucial clash away to Newcastle United, but he suffered a further setback due to an unrelated issue.

MailSport revealed that the reason for Odegaard’s absence was a concussion that he sustained during one of the club’s training sessions at Colney HQ. The outlet explain that Odegaard was struck in the face with a ball just days before the Newcastle clash as concussion protocols forced Arteta to withdraw him from the starting line-up.

The creative midfielder’s absence was clearly felt against Newcastle as the Gunners produced arguably their worst league performance of the season as they fell to a 1-0 loss - whilst registering just one shot on target throughout the entire match at St James’ Park.

Odegaard has since missed victories over Sevilla in the Champions League and Burnley in the league. The 24-year-old will also remain in England during the international break; missing Norway’s fixtures against the Faroe Islands and Scotland, although that decision is believed to be linked to his original hip problem.

Mail Sport has reported that the player is set to return for the Gunners shortly after the international break. Odegaard’s return game is likely to come against Brentford on Saturday 25 November, before a key Champions League clash against RC Lens on Wednesday 29 November.

Odegaard was the catalyst for most of Arsenal’s success last season with 15 goals and seven assists in the league and his comeback will be a huge boost to manager Mikel Arteta particularly in a period where the squad will be stretched.

The Gunners face a hugely busy run of games in December which sees them play seven league games in a month as well as their final group stage game in the Champions League. The standout fixtures of the month see Arsenal take on the likes of Aston Villa, Brighton, Liverpool, West Ham and PSV Eindhoven.