Arsenal Captain in Final Stages of Recovery from Injury after 2 Months Out

FILE - Arsenal's Martin Odegaard reacts at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates stadium in London, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE - Arsenal's Martin Odegaard reacts at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates stadium in London, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
TT

Arsenal Captain in Final Stages of Recovery from Injury after 2 Months Out

FILE - Arsenal's Martin Odegaard reacts at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates stadium in London, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE - Arsenal's Martin Odegaard reacts at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates stadium in London, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

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, The Associated Press reported.
“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.



Neale Fraser, Australia's Long-time Davis Cup Captain, Dies at 91

FILE - Ashley Cooper, left, holds the winner's trophy and poses with Neale Fraser after winning the men's singles championship in Wimbledon, July 4, 1958. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Ashley Cooper, left, holds the winner's trophy and poses with Neale Fraser after winning the men's singles championship in Wimbledon, July 4, 1958. (AP Photo, File)
TT

Neale Fraser, Australia's Long-time Davis Cup Captain, Dies at 91

FILE - Ashley Cooper, left, holds the winner's trophy and poses with Neale Fraser after winning the men's singles championship in Wimbledon, July 4, 1958. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Ashley Cooper, left, holds the winner's trophy and poses with Neale Fraser after winning the men's singles championship in Wimbledon, July 4, 1958. (AP Photo, File)

Neale Fraser, who won three Grand Slam singles titles and guided Australia to four Davis Cup titles during a 24-year career as team captain, has died at 91.

Tennis Australia released a statement Tuesday saying the sport “has lost one of its giants.”

Fraser beat Australian tennis great Rod Laver to win Wimbledon in 1960, in between sweeps at the US Open where he won the singles, men’s doubles and mixed titles in 1959 and ’60. He won 11 major men's doubles titles, including at least two at each of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

He helped Australia win four consecutive Davis Cup titles as a player and rejected lucrative offers to turn professional in a bid to succeed Harry Hopman as the national team captain, The Associated Press reported.
“That ambition was fulfilled in 1970 and he remained in the position until 1993, helming 24 Davis Cup campaigns during which Australia won the title four times,” Tennis Australia said. “Generations of players were inspired by his leadership including John Newcombe, John Fitzgerald and Pat Cash.”
Fraser was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1984. In 2008 Fraser was awarded the International Tennis Federation's Philippe Chatrier Award for outstanding achievement in the sport.