Arsenal captain Martin \u00d8degaard was omitted from the starting line-up for the club\u2019s meeting with Fulham after failing to recover from midweek discomfort. The Norway international was seen trudging off the pitch during the week and did not appear on Saturday, compounding concerns about his fitness.<\/p>\n
When asked about \u00d8degaard\u2019s availability before the game, Mikel Arteta offered only one brief response. “Let\u2019s see,” was all the predictably cryptic Mikel Arteta offered when asked about \u00d8degaard\u2019s involvement before the game.<\/p>\n
Reports indicate the player withdrew against Atl\u00e9tico because of knee discomfort. That episode follows another knee problem that had already forced him to miss more than a month of action. This is the third knee injury of the season for \u00d8degaard; he also missed nearly two months across October and November. Whether those knee issues are linked has not been made public.<\/p>\n
Overall, the captain has suffered seven injuries this season and has been limited to just 15 Premier League starts. Fifteen players have logged more minutes than \u00d8degaard for Arsenal this term. With the captain unavailable, Eberechi Eze took his place in the starting eleven for Saturday\u2019s match.<\/p>\n
\u00d8degaard contributed a lengthy matchday interview that offered little to suggest he expected to be sidelined. “Since the final whistle on Wednesday we\u2019ve been looking forward to today\u2019s game and concentrating on how we can get the three points,” he wrote.<\/p>\n
“The energy is great at the training ground right now. I think everyone is feeling that we’re close to something really big and that gives you a bit of extra energy and extra fire every day in your work.<\/p>\n
“We got a good result last weekend in our last game here at Emirates Stadium against Newcastle. It was an intense, tough game and the main thing was always to get the win and we managed that well. It’s always tough to play against Newcastle, they are a very physical and organised side. Obviously they have quality as well, so there’s going to be periods where they have the ball, but I thought we did well to get over the line and take another three points in a big game.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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