Arsenal captain Odegaard was interviewed before the game against Atletico and shared the latest status of his knee injury, his recovery progress and his thoughts on how to continue to play a leadership role off the field. On the win over Fulham Odeg...
Arsenal captain Odegaard was interviewed before the game against Atletico and shared the latest status of his knee injury, his recovery progress and his thoughts on how to continue to play a leadership role off the field.
On the win over Fulham
Odegaard: Another very good result at Fulham on Saturday. Whenever you can keep a clean sheet and win away from home, you can be happy.
About your recovery from knee injury
Odegaard: Of course I watched the game at home because I am recovering from a knee injury, but the recovery is going well. I took a few days off after the West Ham game because I couldn't do much work and needed to rest my knee anyway, so I went back to Norway. But I've been back for a week now and I'm trying to stay in shape every day and also trying to heal from injuries, so it's been a busy day at the moment. Recovery is hard and the days are long, but it's what you want and I feel like it's going well so far.
On the cause and process of the injury
Odegaard: I think I was really unlucky a few times this season. It was a knee-to-knee collision against West Ham and I didn't know if it was serious or not because those types of collisions can be painful but usually you get through it. So that's why I'm trying to hang in there and see if things get better. I was hoping it was just a bruise that would heal in a few minutes. But it didn't get better and I felt like something wasn't right, so it was better to end the game in the end. As soon as we got back to the locker room, it was scrutinized by the medical team. Once the adrenaline wore off and things stabilized a bit, it started to feel pretty painful.
About a specific return timetable
Odegaard: For this type of injury, it’s difficult to set a return date, especially since it’s my left leg. A lot depends on how things go once I start training back on the court. Sometimes when you start passing and shooting and doing all those things with that leg, it can be pretty painful, so it's really hard to put a date on it. The only thing I can say is that I'm going really well so far. I think we'll know more when I start getting back on the training pitch and we'll see how it goes. If it goes very well, it could be pretty quick.
How do you continue to contribute to the team while recovering from injury?
Odegaard: At the same time, I will do my best to contribute off the court. I've had a couple of misses now, last season with an ankle injury and this year with a shoulder injury. I spend every day with the team at the training ground. I'm in meetings, I'm at games, so I'm definitely still around the team and helping out in different ways. I just try to see if the team needs something or if I see something while I'm watching.
About tonight's game against Atletico
Odegaard: Now we are looking forward to tonight's game and I am very disappointed not to be able to play because these are important Champions League nights that we all love to be a part of.
Mini-game recommendations:Gravity Ball Challenge
