Norway boss confirms Odegaard plan after private jet to London

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Martin Odegaard will not be back on the grass at Sobha Realty Academy until later this week after Arsenal handed their captain several days off following the international break.

The Norway skipper flew straight back to the capital after Sunday night's 2-1 Nations League defeat to Portugal in Porto, with football.london reporting that Odegaard boarded a private jet alongside Erling Haaland, Fulham's Sander Berge and Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer, landing at Luton in the early hours of Monday morning.

Solbakken explains the exodus

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken addressed the mass departure after his side's third straight loss, and made clear it was the clubs who sanctioned it.

"They have booked a private plane that you and I cannot," Solbakken said. "It's not just him [Haaland], there's a whole bunch of people leaving now. They've been given a few days off by their clubs.

"When they have the opportunity to book a private plane, I understand that they do it when they have two or three days off."

The Norway boss also pointed to the workload facing players who went deep at the World Cup. "You have to remember that the teams that went far in the World Cup have many players who have had minimal vacation," he added. "Then it's right to the start of the series and then a mini-tournament. It's an extreme strain."

Odegaard himself kept it brief when speaking to TV2 after the final whistle, saying: "Now it's straight home to England."

Ankle issue to be monitored

The 27-year-old played every single minute of Norway's four Nations League fixtures across the past fortnight, despite picking up an ankle problem in the closing stages of the earlier 2-1 defeat to Portugal in Oslo.

That is the detail Arsenal supporters will focus on. Odegaard's condition will be monitored by the club's medical staff over the coming days, with his return to training at Sobha not expected until later in the week.

The timing matters. Arsenal host Leeds United in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off, and the schedule only tightens from there with Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup commitments stacking up.

Haaland, meanwhile, was withdrawn on 67 minutes in Porto after signalling to the bench that he could not continue — a worry for Manchester City ahead of their trip to Liverpool on Sunday.

Konsa also back in north London

Odegaard is not the only Arsenal player back early. Defender Ezri Konsa has also returned to the club after a fitness problem and will take no part in England's final Nations League fixture against Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday.

Konsa featured in the 7-0 demolition of Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday, having sat out the 2-0 win over Czechia in Prague beforehand with an issue sustained against Spain.

Mikel Arteta's side will have a clearer picture of both players once the full squad reconvenes ahead of the Leeds fixture, with Odegaard's ankle the most significant item on the medical department's desk this week.