Arsenal have been dealt yet another crushing injury blow ahead of the North London derby, as captain Martin Odegaard limped off with an ankle problem in Norway's Nations League clash with Austria.
The former Real Madrid man had already arrived for national team duty carrying a knock from the 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, but he completed the full 90 in his side's opening game with Kazakhstan.
Odegaard unsurprisingly started in the middle once again for the visit of Austria on Monday evening, but his evening ended in agony when he sustained what appeared to be an ankle sprain midway through the second half.
The 25-year-old was duelling for the ball with Austria striker Christoph Baumgartner and rolled his left ankle, which left him writhing in pain on the turf before he was helped to his feet by medical staff.
Odegaard was able to put some weight on the affected ligament, but he was in visible distress and ultimately needed two physios to help him off the field as Kristian Thorstvedt saw out the 2-1 win.
Odegaard a serious doubt for North London derby
Worrying scenes at Ullevaal Stadium. Seems that our captain Martin Ødegaard twisted his ankle. Just had to leave the pitch unfortunately ... pic.twitter.com/JEPoT0KUi8
— Jan Aage Fjørtoft 🇳🇴 (@JanAageFjortoft) September 9, 2024
With only six days to go until the North London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Arsenal's man is now a serious doubt for the clash with the Lilywhites as Gooners anxiously await updates on his condition.
While Odegaard and Arsenal will await an official diagnosis, even a Grade one sprain could take at least one and up to three weeks to heal, meaning that his chances of playing this weekend are almost slim to none.
If the Norway skipper has sustained a Grade two sprain, his recovery time would likely be between three and six weeks, while the most serious Grade three injuries can take a number of months to heal.
The fact that Odegaard was able to limp off the field without a stretcher suggests that his sprain is not too severe, but Mikel Arteta will surely have to draw up plans for the derby without his captain.
Where does Arteta go from here?
Some teams' players return from the international break fit, healthy and raring to go, and some teams are left cursing the call-ups as the team doctors are given more stricken players to rehabilitate; Arsenal are certainly in the latter category.
© Imago
Odegaard is the second Arsenal man to suffer a problem in the September international break alongside Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori, who hurt his calf in bizarre circumstances against France and subsequently pulled out of the squad.
While Arsenal are well-stocked in defence to cope with Calafiori's possible absence, it is a different story for Odegaard, whose backup from the last two seasons - Fabio Vieira - was loaned back to Porto this summer.
With Declan Rice suspended thanks to his controversial red card against Brighton and Mikel Merino out with a shoulder fracture, Arteta could very well be without the three midfielders he intended to start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Thomas Partey has at least chosen a good time to stay injury-free and will surely anchor the midfield on Sunday, and Jorginho should almost certainly return to the fold too if Odegaard does indeed miss out; Arteta has been incredibly reluctant to use Oleksandr Zinchenko as an out-and-out midfielder.
Kai Havertz is now surely the most obvious choice to deputise for Odegaard in the most advanced engine room role, but that hinges on either Gabriel Jesus returning from a groin injury in time to start up front or one of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard or Raheem Sterling filling the void instead.
