It was the sight that no Arsenal fan needed to see in the course of the worldwide break.
With the Gunners already dealing with a few midfield absentees with Declan Rice suspended and Mikel Merino nonetheless sidelined forward of Sunday’s north London derby, seeing skipper Martin Odegaard limp out of motion for Norway was the very last thing Mikel Arteta would have needed.
Odergaard suffered an ankle harm within the second half of Norway’s Nations League win over Austria on Monday night time, the timing of which may barely have been worse, contemplating the Gunners face Atalanta and Manchester Metropolis within the seven days following their journey to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Will Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard be match sufficient to play towards Tottenham on Sunday?
Arsenal are but to touch upon the severity of Odegaard’s harm, with Mikel Arteta on account of face the media on Friday morning.
The standing of his skipper shall be prime of the agenda, with the membership at the moment assessing the harm after the participant underwent an MRI scan.
Nevertheless, quotes from Norway’s staff physician earlier this week seem to point that the 25-year-old is a big doubt for Sunday’s north London derby and is ready for a spell on the sidelines.
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Martin Odegaard was injured with Norway in midweek (Picture credit score: Mateusz Slodkowski/Getty Pictures)
“Such ankle accidents usually take not less than three weeks,” Ola Sand advised the Norwegian media. Something aside from that’s only a bonus. After which it might probably take longer
“What we’ve up to now obtained from the MRI examination in London is that there’s in all probability no fracture within the ankle.”
Arsenal make the brief journey throughout north London seeking to return to successful methods within the Premier League following their 1-1 draw with Brighton earlier than the worldwide break, whereas Spurs have received one, drawn one and misplaced considered one of their opening three matches up to now this time period.