Before every game at Emirates Stadium, Martin Odegaard lifts the lid on the mood in the camp via his captain’s notes published in the matchday programme.
Ahead of tonight's game against Bolton, he gives us an update on how his recovery from injury is going, his immediate thoughts when it happened and finding a way to be involved with the squad despite not being on the pitch. Here's a snippet:
It’s been a while since my last programme notes, so I thought I would start with the latest on my injury. It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there, but it’s part of football and now I’m just trying to recover as quickly as I can. I’m moving forward, making progress and I’m feeling more positive every day. I’m working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible.
I’m at the Sobha Realty Training Centre basically every day now, working hard and doing everything I can do to get better. I have to be careful not to push it too much, but at the same time do what I can to make sure I come back as strongly and quickly as possible. I’m trying to support the team in a different way now, if I can’t be on the pitch. That’s my situation, and I have to make the best out of it.
It's something I’m not used to. I’ve been quite fortunate, if that’s the word, or have done well to avoid injuries in the past, but this is football and I have to get on with it. I think it was unfortunate to get the injury in the way that I did, but also it could have been worse. It was not a nice twist, and when it happened I felt it could be serious. I’ve injured my ankle before and the pain felt a bit different this time. That’s what scared me, but from what happened it could have been worse, so in that sense I got away with it a bit.
Like any player, the first thing I asked the medical team was how long I would be out for, but it’s a bit tricky to say at the moment. In the early stages, it's crucial to get a proper rest and to make sure everything heals well. After that it’s about getting stronger and building it up again.
I’m looking forward to cheering on the boys against Bolton tonight. It might be a chance for some of the players who need minutes and some of the young players. The main thing is though that it’s another competition to play, another trophy to aim for, and we want to win it. We go into every game wanting to win and it’s a good chance for the squad to show that we are strong enough and ready to fight in every competition.
Read the rest of Martin's notes, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying the Arsenal v Bolton programme either around the stadium or online - or get a subscription to receive every edition through your door.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
