Martin Odegaard has been ruled out of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Manchester City this weekend.
After sustaining an ankle injury on international duty with Norway, the fitness of the Gunners captain has been a source of deep concern among fans.
Odegaard limped out of his country’s 2-1 win over Austria last week with an injury that his coach Ola Solbakken admitted looked bad.
Norway’s team doctor, Ola Sand, claimed the 25-year-old would be sidelined for several weeks, but Mikel Arteta has kept tight-lipped, until now.
The Arsenal boss batted away several attempts to get conclusive updates on his skipper, who missed the north London derby victory over Tottenham on Sunday.
Odegaard met with a specialist to assess the severity of his injury, and it’s not good news.
He has been ruled out of the club’s Champions League opener against Atalanta and looks set for a spell on the sidelines.
Is Odegaard fit to face Man City?
The playmaker is guaranteed to miss out on the trip to the Etihad.
This is because Arteta has confirmed the player has suffered a bad injury.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Atalanta game, he said: “After recent scans, the scans showed that he’s got some damage, especially, on one of the ligaments in the ankle.
“It’s something quite significant, so we’re going to lose him for a while.
“He’s our captain. He’s been one of the biggest and best players in our team. Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves.
“It’s a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face.”
When asked how long Arsenal would be without their captain, Arteta said: “Hopefully not months, but we’ll see.”
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The initial timeline presented by Norway’s medical team indicated Odegaard may not return until after the October international break.
However, after hearing Arteta’s comments, the Gunners could be without their star player for a lot longer.
The former Real Madrid starlet needed a strategically placed ball to obscure his injured ankle for Tuesday’s official team photo shoot.
Odegaard is a permanent starting fixture on the right side of a midfield three in their favoured 4-3-3 formation when fit.
Leandro Trossard deputised in that role against Spurs and may do so on Sunday, with teenager Ethan Nwaneri a potential wildcard option.
Arteta may also opt to keep Jorginho in midfield in place of Odegaard, with Declan Rice back from suspension.
