'Nowhere near fit' - Mikel Arteta explains why Martin Odegaard has been ruled out of Arsenal's Premier League clash at Wolves

Mikel Arteta addressed the Arsenal captain not being involved before his team took to the pitch at Molineux, needing maximum points against a struggling opponent in order to keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Arteta said pre-game: "Martin was ill this morning and we had to send him back. He was nowhere near fit to play."

Odegaard missed seven Premier League games and three in the Champions League, earlier this season because of injury. His return initially coincided with a burst of positive results after a difficult run without him him. But Arsenal have drawn half of their last eight league fixtures and the Norwegian has been criticised for his performances, notably against Aston Villa last weekend. It has also been suggested that he needs to be doing more while Bukayo Saka is sidelined. But Odegaard couldn't affect the Wolves game because he wasn't even there himself on this occasion.

After Wolves, Arsenal are away at Girona in the Champions League. That game should be a straightforward way against an already eliminated opponent, to secure their place in the top eight - a point will be enough and even defeat is unlikely to see them drop out of those crucial places. Whether Odegaard will be available remains to be seen, but it could be beneficial for him to have an extended rest ahead of next weekend's visit of Manchester City.