Ødegaard sprains ankle in Norway win, set for MRI

Norway captain Martin Ødegaard injured an ankle on Monday ahead of a key series of games for his club Arsenal.

Ødegaard covered his face with his hands while being treated on the field midway through the second half of a 2-1 Nations League win over Austria.

He appeared to turn awkwardly on his left ankle in a tough challenge with Austria midfielder Christoph Baumgartner as both chased and stretched for a loose ball.

Ødegaard limped out of the game two minutes later and was consoled by his teammate Erling Haaland.

“Martin Odegaard’s injury looked bad in the dressing room as well I saw he was sitting with the physiotherapists around him but he had no chance to continue and we know it was an ankle sprain,” Norway coach Stale Solbakken told broadcaster TV 2. “Yes it’s a sprain, and as those of us who had played football know, with luck it can turn out ok if the ligaments aren’t torn.”

Norway’s doctor Ola Sand added that the 25-year-old was doing well, but that an MRI could be carried out tomorrow.

“Martin is doing quite well now. He got a small ankle sprain. We will see throughout the evening and tomorrow what happens next and what we will do about it,” Sand said. “Ankle sprains are difficult to deal with straight away, so we almost have to see how things go forward.

“We will examine him when we are back at the hotel. Maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow.”

Ødegaard was due to return from national team duty into a tough week of away games for Arsenal.

The Gunners first go to London rival Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday then open their Champions League program at Atalanta, the Europa League winner, four days later in Italy. A visit to Manchester City completes a grueling week on Sept. 22.

Norway was level at 1-1 when Ødegaard went off and won the game on Haaland’s 80th-minute goal.

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this story.