Norway has provided an update on Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard’s injury.
The player may be available for selection in both of Norway’s fixtures this week, but his national teammates are not ruling out the possibility of revenge against Portugal midfielder, Bernardo Silva, who injured him.
Portugal beat Norway 2-1 on Sunday evening, though post-match discussions centred on Silva’s mistimed challenge on Odegaard during the closing stages of the match.
The Arsenal captain collected the ball near his own penalty area and passed it to a teammate. He was caught by a heavy tackle from the former Manchester City midfielder.
The Norway captain showed visible discomfort in the final moments of the match and criticised Bernardo, telling Norwegian TV2: “This conduct is inappropriate for professional football.
“It is regrettable that individuals conduct themselves in this manner. He completely lost control. He delivered a kick long after I had released the ball. I cannot comprehend his actions.”
Norway will face Wales on Thursday before confronting Portugal once more on Sunday evening in what promises to be a fiercely contested encounter in Porto.
Odegaard was not expected to participate in first-team training on Tuesday, but team manager Brede Hangeland delivered an encouraging assessment of the Gunners captain, expressing optimism about his availability for both matches this week.
“He is progressing well. He demonstrated considerable improvement compared to yesterday, so we shall see,” Hangeland told TV2.
“In this world, two and a half days are an eternity, so it could get dramatically much better until then.
“I think it will be a quiet session for him today. That is up to him to decide.”
Asked if Odegaard could be involved in Thursday’s and Sunday’s games, Hangeland replied: “Sure.”
Odegaard’s teammates, meanwhile, have not forgotten what happened in Oslo on Sunday.
Asked if the Norway players would be seeking to exact some revenge on Bernardo, Patrick Berg told VG: “We’ll have to wait and see. I can say that I’m looking forward to the match, at least. A player coming and kicking our captain could set things off a bit. It could.”
Asked about revenge against Bernardo Silva, Bologna defender Torbjørn Heggem said: “At least, it’s not something you can say outwardly.
“I haven’t thought much about it. It was a bad tackle, and of course, we want to support our captain, but a revenge tackle is rarely something you resort to.”
UNL: Norway players speak on revenge on Bernardo Silva as Odegaard’s injury update emerges