Arsenal captain Odegaard nearing return from injury after 2 months out

LONDON (AP) — Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is in the final stages of his recovery from an ankle injury after nearly two months out, manager Mikel Arteta said Friday.

Arteta said Odegaard wouldn't play against Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday but didn't rule the midfielder out of the trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.

"Now is the stage where he is going to do certain work with us. Let's see how he deals with pain and if his movement is natural enough," Arteta said.

"He's physically now at the level required to compete. With the work rate and hours he has put in, I'd be surprised that the moment he starts training with us, he looks ready. Hopefully soon."

Odegaard was injured playing for Norway in a Nations League group-stage match on Sept. 9 and Arsenal has missed his creativity and leadership. After collecting just one point from its last two games, Arsenal is in third place, five points behind leader Manchester City.

Arteta said left back Riccardo Calafiori would also miss the Newcastle game because of injury but fellow defender Gabriel will be in contention if he trains well on Friday.