Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is reportedly facing a month on the sidelines with the ankle injury that he picked up while representing Norway on Monday night.
The attacker had to be replaced in the 67th minute of what proved to be a 2-1 success for Norway against Austria, and his national side's doctor Ola Sand has since said that the 25-year-old 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." he said.
"We will examine him when we are back at the hotel. Maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI."
Due to the nature of the injury and the extent of the swelling in the impacted area, it is often difficult to determine the seriousness of the damage at an early stage, but Norway head coach Stale Solbakken admitted that the injury "looks bad".
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Odegaard facing 'one month' on the sidelines
"It looked bad in the dressing room too", said Solbakken. "He didn't have the nerve to continue. It is not certain that [Mikel] Arteta will call me tonight and praise me."
According to reports in Norway, there are fears that Odegaard could be on the sidelines for the next month, which would be a bitter blow for Arsenal at a vital stage of the campaign.
The Gunners are already missing Declan Rice for Sunday's North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur through suspension, while new signing Mikel Merino has not yet been able to make his debut due to a shoulder problem.
Odegaard is also set to miss out this weekend, and he could be absent for the team's next seven games in all competitions.
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Which games could Odegaard miss for Arsenal?
Arsenal will begin their Champions League campaign against Atalanta BC on September 19, before heading to the champions Manchester City in the Premier League three days later.
The Gunners will then tackle Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup on September 25, before returning to Premier League action at home to Leicester City on September 28.
Odegaard is set to miss those four games, in addition to the London derby, while he might also be absent for the Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain on October 1, and the league fixture with Southampton on October 5.
The attacker's return could potentially come against Bournemouth after the October international break, but Arsenal will be hoping that the damage is not as serious as first feared.
Odegaard was in impressive form for Arteta's side during the 2024-25 campaign, scoring 11 goals and registering 11 assists in 48 appearances in all competitions.
Matt Law
