Martin Odegaard was due to undergo scans in London on Thursday on the ankle injury that threatens to damage Arsenal’s early season prospects, CBS Sports sources said.
Odegaard limped out of Norway’s 2-1 win over Austria on Monday night, rolling his ankle after a challenge with Christoph Baumgartner, leaving Arsenal fearing the worst. With trips to Tottenham, Atalanta and Manchester City in the space of a week, Odegaard’s potential absence couldn’t come at a worse time.
Arsenal will hope tests on Odegaard provide some encouragement after MRI scans took place in the aftermath of the injury. Those results were passed on to the Norwegian national team, whose doctor Ola Sand said there is “probably no fracture” to Odegaard’s ankle. If that indeed turns out to be the case, it would allay fears of the 25-year-old’s absence for as long as possible.
However, both Sand and head coach Stale Solbakken warned Norwegian publication VG that Odegaard’s availability for Norway’s Nations League matches against Slovenia and Austria next month was in doubt. “Such ankle injuries often last at least three weeks,” says Sand.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will continue to assess Odegaard on a daily basis before Arteta provides an update on his captain’s status during his press conference on Friday.
Odegaard’s absence is likely to be keenly felt by Arsenal, however long it lasts, especially with Paris Saint-Germain’s visit to the Emirates Stadium looming on the horizon, even after a difficult run of games starting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. The playmaker is perhaps the only member of Arteta’s first team for whom a natural replacement is not immediately apparent, although Kai Havertz could drop back from his centre-forward role to add creativity to a midfield that was already short on numbers before the injury of Odegaard.
New signing Mikel Merino was sidelined for six to eight weeks after breaking his shoulder during his first training session with his new teammates. Declan Rice has also been suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the draw against Brighton.