Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is focusing on returning to action as soon as possible and feels fortunate his injury is not worse than it is.
Odegaard injured his ankle while on Norway duty two weeks ago and has missed Arsenal's three matches since, including Wednesday's EFL Cup tie with Bolton Wanderers.
Mikel Arteta confirmed this week that the midfielder will be "out for a while", but no timeframe has been given for his recovery.
Addressing his lay-off for the first time, Odegaard admits he was scared by the severity of the damage when first sustaining the injury.
"It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there, but it’s part of football and now I'm just trying to recover as quickly as I can," he wrote in his programme notes for the Bolton tie.
"I'm moving forward, making progress and I'm feeling more positive every day. I'm working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible.
"I'm at the Sobha Realty Training Centre basically every day now, working hard and doing everything I can do to get better.
"I have to be careful not to push it too much, but at the same time do what I can to make sure I come back as strongly and quickly as possible.
"I'm trying to support the team in a different way now, if I can't be on the pitch. That's my situation, and I have to make the best out of it.
"It's something I’m not used to. I've been quite fortunate, if that’s the word, or have done well to avoid injuries in the past, but this is football and I have to get on with it.
"I think it was unfortunate to get the injury in the way that I did, but also it could have been worse. It was not a nice twist, and when it happened I felt it could be serious.
"I've injured my ankle before and the pain felt a bit different this time. That's what scared me, but from what happened it could have been worse, so in that sense I got away with it a bit."
Odegaard started his side's opening three Premier League games and, while he has yet to register a goal or assist, he proved influential with five chances created - a tally only Bukayo Saka (eight) could better among Arsenal players.
Reports suggest the former Real Madrid player could return to action after the October international break, but the 25-year-old is himself still unsure how long he will be out.
"Like any player, the first thing I asked the medical team was how long I would be out for, but it's a bit tricky to say at the moment," he said.
"In the early stages, it's crucial to get a proper rest and to make sure everything heals well. After that it’s about getting stronger and building it up again."
Arsenal follow up their EFL Cup third-round tie against Bolton with home games against Leicester City and Southampton in the Premier League, plus Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, prior to the international break.
Saint Lucia, Haiti stay perfect in Groups B and C of League B
Saint Lucia and Haiti consolidated their leads atop their respective Concacaf Nations League groups following contrasting wins in their League B encounters on Friday.
Caniggia Elva’s late brace in the 76th and 90th propelled St Lucia to a 2-1 win over Saint Martin, who led for most of the contest courtesy of Axel Raga’s 30th-minute strike in their Group B clash at the Darren Sammy Ground.
The win moved Saint Lucia to maximum nine points from three games. Curacao and Grenada, who played out a goalless stalemate in the other group contest, sit second and third on four points each, while Saint Martin is still yet to get on the board.
Over in Group C, Haiti beat host Aruba 3-1 at Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadion.
Tyron Perret Gentil fired Aruba in front in the sixth minute, but Haiti responded through Frantzdy Pierrot (31st), and a brace from Duckens Nazon, who scored from the penalty spot in the 38th, followed by a 61st-minute close range effort.
The win saw Haiti move up to nine points from three games, three points ahead of Sint Maarten, who clipped Puerto Rico 3-2 in the other fixture.
Chovanie Amatkarijo (44th, 85th) and Imar Kort (49th) got the job done for Sint Maarten, while Rodolfo Sulia (2nd) and Alec Diaz (90+5) got Puerto Rico’s goals.
Puerto Rico remain on three points, with Aruba still pointless.
Saka and Jones withdraw from England's Nations League squad
England have confirmed that Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Liverpool's Curtis Jones have withdrawn from the squad ahead of their Nations League clash with Finland on Sunday.
Saka was replaced by Noni Madueke in the 51st minute during England's shock 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley on Thursday after picking up an injury in his right leg.
It only adds to Mikel Arteta's injury worries ahead of facing Bournemouth next Saturday after Martin Odegaard was injured on international duty for Norway last month.
Saka has enjoyed a fine start to the Premier League campaign, scoring two goals and laying on a further seven assists in the Gunners' opening seven games.
The England international has also created more chances (27) than any other player in the division, with his nine goal involvements a total only bettered by Chelsea's Cole Palmer (11) and Manchester City's Erling Haaland (10).
Lee Carsley will also be without uncapped Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, who was added to the Three Lions squad earlier this week, but has since withdrawn due to a personal commitment.
Jones earned his first call-up in May as part of Gareth Southgate's provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024, but did not make the final cut.
The 23-year-old was part of the Young Lions side that won the 2023 European Under-21 Championship under Carsley, scoring the only goal in their 1-0 win over Spain in the final.
Former Liverpool defender Matip confirms retirement
Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip has confirmed his retirement from professional football.
Matip, who joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2016, has been without a club since leaving Anfield at the end of last season and has since decided to call time on his 15-year career.
The 33-year-old started his career at Schalke, making 258 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit and helping them lift the DFB-Pokal and German Super Cup in 2011.
Matip was among the first signings made by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, joining in the same window as Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum and Loris Karius.
He helped the Reds return to the Champions League in Klopp's first full campaign in charge, making 29 Premier League appearances and keeping nine clean sheets.
However, his spell with the Reds was marred by repetitive injuries, sustaining 16 different issues across his eight-year spell on Merseyside.
The former Cameroon international's final appearance for Liverpool came in a 4-3 win over Fulham in December 2023 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the same game.
Matip made 201 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and winning six major honours, which included the Reds' sixth Champions League triumph.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
