Returning injured Arsenal star gives latest on his fitness

Returning injured Arsenal star gives latest on his fitness

Martin Odegaard is hopeful he can now remain fit until the end of the season, after an incredibly difficult season for Arsenal on the injury front.

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Martin Odegaard made his comeback from injury against Manchester City on Sunday, and he ended up having to play the full 90 minutes as Arsenal chased a late equaliser.

The match was the midfielder’s first 90-minute display of 2026, so the big question afterwards was whether he’d come through it unscathed.

“It was a tight call to make it (for the City game),” Odegaard told Sky Sports afterwards. “I felt ok in the game. A bit tired in the end. Good to be back and hopefully, I can be there until the end.”

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The good news for Odegaard is that he now has almost a full week to recover for the next match, a home game against Newcastle United.

Arsenal’s elimination from the FA Cup means they won’t have a midweek fixture on this occasion, which is a rarity in recent months.

The games will start up again in earnest after that, with Arsenal having their two-legged Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid in the following two midweeks.

But even if the Gunners progress to the final, they’ll get the final two midweeks of the Premier League season off, whilst City are likely to be using them for their postponed fixtures. Whether that’s a positive or a negative remains to be seen.

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Odegaard has missed 24 Arsenal matches through his various injury setbacks this season, whilst only starting 19 games. He has appeared in a further 11 games as a substitute, but ideally Mikel Arteta would want to call on him from the start of matches.

If Arsenal are going to achieve anything in the final month or so of the season, Odegaard will need to stay fit and have an impact.