Odegaard on how Havertz is doing post-surgery

Before every game at Emirates Stadium, Martin Odegaard lifts the lid on the mood in the camp via his captain’s notes published in the matchday programme.

Ahead of today's game against West Ham United, the skipper reveals how Kai Havertz is going after his surgery, the need for players to step up and play out of position, and how he hopes the trip to Dubai can benefit us going into the final few months of the campaign:

We spent a few days in Dubai, which we used as a good balance between hard work and rest. There we had the bad news with Kai’s injury. He’s been back at the training ground lately, so we’ve been able to speak to him. His surgery went well, but he can’t do too much at the moment, and he’s staying positive. It’s always hard when you have an injury like that, and he’s not been injured a lot before, which makes it tough for him.

We are all here to support him, I’ve spoken with him and he's determined to use this time really positively so he can come back stronger. It was a big blow for him, and for the team. The hardest part is the mental element, because suddenly your life becomes very different. You can’t train, you can’t be with your teammates, you are more isolated. It’s up to us as a group – players, staff, supporters – to lift the injured players and help however we can. 

We will also be supporting Tomi, who had his operation last week. It's been such a difficult time for Tomi as well, because he’s been more in and out with it. It’s hard when you can’t find the answers you are looking for, it can be so frustrating, so hopefully this surgery can help him come back and help us on the pitch again soon.

Aside from Kai’s injury though, it was a good break for us in Dubai. First it was good to see the sun again! We had some good time together as a group, and also it was nice to be able to take some time to train properly, because we’d been playing every three days for the past couple of months. We had some good sessions, everyone enjoyed it, and it was important to change the scenery.

We came back with a win against Leicester last weekend. Mikel came off the bench to get those two goals – looking like he’s always been a centre-forward! To be fair he’s really good in the box even from midfield, gets in good positions and is strong in the duels. So the game suited him, and to score two goals in your first game as a No. 9 is not bad at all!

It's great to see all the players stepping up with all the injuries we’ve got. It’s a good challenge for us as a group. It’s been a strange season with the injuries, but look at the players who have come in and stepped up. Not just Mikel last weekend, Ethan has come into the team and been brilliant, the same as Myles – young players really stepping up and we need that now for the rest of the season.

Read the rest of Martin's notes, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying the Arsenal v West Ham United programme either around the stadium or online.