Martin Ødegaard and the harsh reality: sometimes footballers get injured

Ø ARSENAL!

The chorus of wails and gnashing of teeth that could be heard at dawn, wherever you woke up on Tuesday morning, was the sound of various Arsenal supporters trying and failing to cope with the news that Martin Ødegaard had been helped off the pitch during Norway’s win over Austria with what looked to be some serious talent. With a north London derby looming and another of their star midfielders already on the Naughty Step, the last thing the Gunners needed to hear was that their beloved captain had injured his ankle and left the pitch in tears. As radio switchboards and social media Disgraces lit up, some Arsenal fans immediately called for an outright ban from international football. A booing that predates the club they support by 12 years, how dare they let it jeopardise their latest title bid?

Some have also questioned Ødegaard’s busy schedule, an argument that might have held water had it arrived seven or eight months later. As it was, this was only the Norwegian’s fifth game in three weeks after a long, leisurely summer break; in the pantheon of Europe’s elite footballers, few have started the season more rested and eager than Martin and his international team-mate Erling Haaland. The wisdom of having internationals so early in the season has also been questioned, mainly by those who seem unaware that it is an annual ritual that goes back at least 50 years. While it is true that Ødegaard suffered a severe blow to his ankle in Arsenal’s last Premier League outing against Brighton, he had since lasted 90 minutes unscathed for Norway against Kazakhstan. Sometimes footballers simply sprain their ankle, whether it’s while representing their country, training with their club or doing something as mundane as walking down stairs.

The good news for Arsenal fans is that although Ødegaard was spotted boarding a private plane home, opinions on the severity of his injury appear to be divided. While Norwegian manager Ståle Solbakken said “it looked bad in the dressing room”, team doctor Ola Sand offered a more optimistic view. “Yes, it is a sprain and as those of us who have played football know, with luck it can be okay if the ligaments are not torn. We will see, maybe we will use the ultrasound to check it. If we are not sure, there will be an MRI.”

While there is no guarantee that their captain will miss Sunday’s game against Spurs, if Ødegaard is sidelined, at least there is no shortage of replacements. Well, there would be if Emile Smith-Rowe had not been sold to Fulham, if new signing Mikel Merino had not already been exhausted, if Fabio Vieira had not been loaned to Porto and if Gunnersaurus was still as mobile as he was in his Jurassic heyday. With Oleksandr Zinchenko set to represent Ukraine against the Czech Republic on Tuesday night, Gunners fans will be praying that he comes through unscathed or that Sunday’s team sheet might feature the name of a certain Mikel Arteta.

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