Arsenal injury woes pile up as 29-year-old star suffers major scare on international duty: Reports
Arsenal's injury woes continue to pile up, with Belgian attacker Leandro Trossard seemingly among the casualties. The 29-year-old attacker started for his nation in the 1-0 defeat to Israel on Sunday (November 17) but failed to get to halftime.
Trossard was replaced by Johan Bakayoko in the 37th minute after he seemingly felt uncomfortable to continue. While the degree of his injury remains uncertain, Gunners fans will be sweating given the number of fitness issues of late.
Martin Odegaard only returned to action before this international break after spending two months on the sidelines because of an ankle problem. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka's fitness also remains a concern after they were subbed off in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on November 10.
If Arsenal are to be without Rice in the coming weeks, Trossard missing could be a matter of real concern. The England international has been operating in a box-to-box role, with Thomas Partey occupying the number six position.
Thanks to Odegaard's absence, Trossard has been filling in as the second number-eight in Mikel Arteta's midfield. The Belgian is also extremely versatile, and is capable of operating either on the left or right wing, based on the needs of the team.
Arteta will hope that Trossard recovers before league action kicks off after the international break. The Gunners' next match is a home affair against Nottingham Forest on November 23.
Currently, the north Londoners are placed fourth on the Premier League table, nine points short of the table-toppers Liverpool.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard says he's still nearing full fitness
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has opened up about his fitness after starting for the Gunners against Chelsea ahead of the international break. However, he's pulled out of Norway's team, which raised a few eyebrows.
To the relief of most fans, the midfielder has clarified that his decision is to further his progression to regain full fitness. Speaking about this choice, Odegaard said (via Mirror):
“I got through the match at the weekend [vs Chelsea ], but it was a rather abrupt transition from the last nine weeks. In this kind of process, you don’t just go from being injured to suddenly being completely healthy."
“You tend to have a reaction to what happens, and then it’s about how you react to it. Together with the NFF’s medical team, we’ve looked at it and agreed that it’s better for me to go back and make a full recovery."
The Norwegian has played just four Premier League matches this season, bagging an assist. It looks like the Arsenal number 10 is set to feature against Nottingham Forest.