In a devastating blow to Arsenal, captain Martin Odegaard is facing a month on the sidelines due to an ankle injury sustained while playing for Norway. The 25-year-old attacker had to be substituted in the 67th minute of Norway’s 2-1 victory over Austria, with national team doctor Ola Sand confirming that Odegaard had sprained his ankle.
“He got a small ankle sprain. We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow. Ankle sprains are difficult to deal with straight away, so we almost have to see how things go forward,” Sand said.
Norway head coach Stale Solbakken also expressed concern about the severity of the injury, stating, “It looked bad in the dressing room too. He didn’t have the nerve to continue. It is not certain that [Mikel] Arteta will call me tonight and praise me.”
With fears in Norway that Odegaard could be out for a month, Arsenal are set to be without the influential midfielder for several crucial fixtures. Already missing Declan Rice and Mikel Merino due to suspension and injury respectively, Arsenal will now have to cope without Odegaard for upcoming games, including the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
Odegaard’s absence will be felt in matches against Bolton Wanderers, Leicester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Southampton, with a potential return scheduled after the October international break against Bournemouth. Arsenal will be hoping for a speedy recovery for Odegaard, who had a standout season last year, contributing 11 goals and 11 assists in 48 appearances.
The injury to Odegaard comes at a difficult time for Arsenal, who will need to find a way to cope without their captain’s creativity and leadership on the field. The team will be hoping for positive news on Odegaard’s recovery in the coming weeks.