Arsenal handed Odegaard boost as Norway share ankle scan results

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Martin Odegaard's ankle has been scanned and cleared of any major damage, according to Norway assistant coach Brede Hangeland.

The Arsenal captain was left grounded in the closing stages of Sunday's 2-1 Nations League defeat to Portugal in Oslo, following a late challenge from Bernardo Silva. Norway's team doctor Ola Sand subsequently carried out tests on the 27-year-old.

Hangeland confirmed the outcome of those checks, saying: “Ola Sand has that under control. As far as I understood, there was nothing dramatic in those [X-ray] images. The most important thing is that the guy is feeling better. The images show a snapshot, while he’s still recovering. And the progress is positive.”

Still in contention to face Wales

Odegaard was unable to train with the Norway squad on Tuesday and was one of two absentees from the session. Despite that, he remains in contention to feature against Wales in Cardiff on Thursday.

Speaking before training, Hangeland offered further detail on the Arsenal skipper's condition. “Martin was in the breakfast room, he was happy and he had less pain in his ankle than yesterday,” he said. “It is a long time until the next match. It is a full two and a half days. A lot can happen in that time.”

Norway boss Stale Solbakken also indicated his staff will not be taking unnecessary risks, noting that there is regular dialogue between the national team's medical department and Arsenal's, with the Gunners kept informed on Odegaard's condition and workload. The update was reported by football.london.

Welcome news after Havertz setback

The timing matters for Mikel Arteta. Arsenal have already lost Kai Havertz to a hamstring injury during the opening weeks of this international break, leaving the Gunners short at centre-forward heading back into club action.

Losing the captain on top of that would have been a significant complication. Odegaard is the creative fulcrum of Arteta's side and the player around whom much of Arsenal's build-up play is structured, so confirmation that the scans showed nothing serious removes a considerable worry.

Norway have two fixtures remaining before their players return to their clubs. After Wales, they travel to Portugal — a meeting that will inevitably be framed around the Bernardo Silva challenge, with Odegaard having spoken openly about the tackle in the aftermath of Sunday's game.

Norway defender Torbjorn Heggem, however, has played down any suggestion the squad will go looking for retribution. “At least it's not something you can say outwardly [that you're going to get Bernardo back],” he said. “I haven't thought much about it. It was a bad tackle and of course we want to support our captain, but a revenge tackle is rarely something you resort to.”

For Arsenal, the immediate focus will be on how Odegaard's ankle responds over the next 48 hours and whether Solbakken opts to use him in Cardiff. With the Havertz situation already forcing a reshuffle up front, the club will be watching Norway's remaining two fixtures closely.