The Emirates Stadium will no doubt be lively for Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night. While there is no real Gunners team news, so to speak, but manager Mikel Arteta did provide updates on Arsenal’s trio of long-term knee injury absentees- Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke – this weekend.
Let’s take a look at what Arteta had to say about all three.
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Martin Odegaard
‘There’s no definite date for his return, but he’s evolving well. It’s very unlucky what’s happening with him and his injuries this season, but I think he will be back in a few weeks. It could be [after the next Int’ break], but we’ll have to see how he progresses.
“It’s too early to give an answer.”
So there you have it, they just don’t know, in regards to the team captain.
Potential Return Date: N/A, probably late November
Kai Havertz
‘It’s very difficult, there’s still a lot to do in his rehab. He’s really pushing it. We know Kai, and that’s why we love him so much, but we have to wait and see.
“He wants to break every timeline, I’m sure, but that’s why we have to protect him and make sure that when he comes back, he comes back for the long term.”
That is very encouraging to hear- how he’s trying to beat every timeline that they set for him.
Potential Return Date: After the November international break
Noni Maduke
“He’s getting closer as well. He’s going to start very soon to do some running and stuff, and then again, let’s see how that reacts.”
Potential Return Date: Sometime after the November internationals
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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