Arsenal get ideal Martin Odegaard injury update ahead of Carabao Cup final vs Man City

Arsenal are pushing for Martin Odegaard to play a part in Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, despite his ongoing knee injury

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has not been called up for the Norway national team for their March fixtures against the Netherlands and Switzerland. The midfielder has been struggling with a persistent knee injury he initially picked up in the 1-1 draw at Brentford last month.

Odegaard then missed the 4-0 FA Cup fourth‑round defeat of Wigan Athletic and also sat out the 2-2 draw at Wolves, before coming off the bench in the one‑sided 4-1 North London Derby win over Tottenham Hotspur. He has since struggled to overcome the setback.

While he is expected to play a key role at this summer's World Cup, Norway manager Stale Solbakken explained the decision to leave him out, saying: "I would prefer him to build his physique and get a proper training period.

"He may get opportunities to do that during this national team period. So if he calls and says it's okay, I'm not sure if I want him with me. He is desperate to be in these training sessions and be ready.

"But we have to take the long view. It is the World Cup that counts, not private matches in March, the national team manager elaborates."

With that said, there is an opportunity for Odegaard to make a return for Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley. Mikel Arteta has confirmed that he is trying to get back into contention to feature this weekend.

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"So we're really pushing, he really wants to try to be available, but we'll have to wait and see in the next few days when he trains with the team how he feels," the Gunners boss said.

"We know the game that we're going to be playing in a few days again, and the more players that we have the better."

Last week, the Norwegian reiterated how desperate he is to return to the fold.

"After a few away games recently, it's great to be back home in front of our own supporters again this afternoon," Odegaard said before the 2-0 win over Everton. "I'm desperate to get back to playing as soon as I can.

"It's been difficult for me with the knee injury lately, but I’m working as hard as I can to get back to full fitness now. The main thing is to be 100% again, and make sure I can properly help the team."

However, even if Odegaard is deemed not fully fit to feature on Sunday, missing out on a call‑up for his country will give him the ideal opportunity to rest and train during the international break as Arsenal push into the crucial final weeks of the Premier League season.

The Gunners sit top of the table on 70 points, nine clear of City in second, though Pep Guardiola's side have a game in hand against Crystal Palace.

That match has been rescheduled due to their Carabao Cup final vs Arsenal this weekend, with Arteta's men already playing their game-in-hand, against Wolves, earlier this year,