Odegaard defies ankle scare to shine for Norway in Cardiff

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Martin Odegaard's ankle is fine. The Arsenal captain, a major doubt for Norway's trip to Wales after a heavy challenge from Bernardo Silva last weekend, not only started at Cardiff City Stadium but set up the opening goal inside 11 minutes.

Odegaard's inch-perfect pass released Oscar Bobb for the 11th-minute opener, capping a week of uncertainty over the 27-year-old's fitness.

From limping out of Oslo to starting in Cardiff

The scare came during Norway's Nations League defeat by Portugal, when Silva caught Odegaard on the back of the left ankle after the ball had gone. The Arsenal skipper immediately confronted the former Manchester City midfielder and was repeatedly heard shouting at him before limping away from the stadium afterwards.

"Doesn't belong on a football field," Odegaard said of the challenge.

He was unable to train on Tuesday because of pain in the ankle, with Norway's medical staff in continuous contact with Arsenal throughout. A scan and an X-ray revealed no serious damage, and after improvement on Wednesday, head coach Stale Solbakken still would not commit either way — before naming Odegaard in his starting XI.

The timing matters for Mikel Arteta. Odegaard has four goals in eight appearances across all competitions this season and has started all but one match, a run of availability that stands in stark contrast to last term, when a recurring shoulder problem and then knee ligament damage limited him to 16 starts in 38 Premier League games during the title-winning campaign.

Norway face Portugal again on Sunday in the Group A4 return fixture.

The wider Arsenal picture

The news was less positive elsewhere on Thursday, with winger Christos Tzolis forced off after only 18 minutes of Greece's meeting with the Netherlands.

On William Saliba, L'Equipe report that the defender is making good progress with the lingering back injury that was aggravated at the World Cup and did not require surgery. The French outlet claims Saliba is running again following his latest scan and is targeting a return around November, without rushing the process.

Kai Havertz's timeline remains unclear after he injured his hamstring playing for Germany against the Netherlands last week. Declan Rice, who withdrew from the England squad at the start of the extended three-week break, is expected to be fit for the Premier League return against Leeds, with Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera also reportedly on course for that fixture.

Ezri Konsa could feature for England against Croatia on Saturday having been an unused substitute against the Czech Republic following a knock picked up against Spain. Piero Hincapie, meanwhile, remains a doubt with the muscular problem that kept him out of Ecuador's latest squad.

Arteta will want his captain back in north London in one piece after Sunday's rematch with Portugal, with Leeds the first test of the post-break schedule.