Arsenal fans are holding their breath over an injury to star midfielder Martin Odegaard. The playmaker suffered an ankle injury on Monday while on international duty with Norway. During the second half of a matchup with Austria, Odegaard turned his left ankle following a challenge from Christoph Baumgartner. The Gunner immediately fell to the ground in agony and was subsequently substituted moments later.
Following the incident, Odegaard managed to walk off the pitch with a heavy limp. After the game, Norway manager Stale Solbakken claimed that the star suffered an ankle sprain. The coach also admitted that the injury “looked bad” but more tests are scheduled on Tuesday.
“Martin Odegaard’s injury looked bad in the dressing room as well I saw he was sitting with the physiotherapists around him but he had no chance to continue and we know it was an ankle sprain,” Solbakken told Norwegian network TV 2. “Yes, it’s a sprain, and as those of us who had played football know, with luck it can turn out ok if the ligaments aren’t torn.”
Norway’s team doctor Ola Sand also addressed the unfortunate setback after the team’s 2-1 victory. The physician attempted to ease concerns but also added that these particular injuries can have a fairly wide range of repercussions. “Martin is doing quite well now,” claimed Sand.
“He got a small ankle sprain. We will see throughout the evening and [Tuesday] what happens next and what we will do about it. Ankle sprains are difficult to deal with straight away, so we almost have to see how things go forward. 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 tomorrow.”
Nevertheless, the timing of the injury could not have come at a worse time for Arsenal. The Gunners are set to face bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in their first game back from the international break. The two sides will meet on Sunday, Sep. 15. This means that Odegaard would have to recover from the injury in just five days to feature in the game.
This scenario, however, does seem a bit unlikely. Although the MRI results are not yet known, sprained ankles generally take some time to heal. Odegaard was also seen using crutches to get onto a private plane Tuesday morning. The midfielder has flown back to London so that Arsenal’s medical team can assess the issue.
Not only could Arsenal be without their captain and main playmaker for the North London Derby, but two other key midfielders have been ruled out. Declan Rice is suspended for the matchup after he was controversially sent off during the previous fixture. New signing Mikel Merino is also currently sidelined after picking up a nasty shoulder injury. The Spanish star suffered a setback in his first training session with the team.
This means that manager Mikel Arteta could be without his entire starting midfield trio for the Spurs game. While Merino has not yet featured for Arsenal, he was brought in to be a crucial player. Thomas Partey and Jorginho are currently the only fully fit senior midfielders for the Gunners.
Arteta may opt to start both of these players at the weekend. The manager, however, could also push Kai Havertz back into midfield in place of Rice. This is a move that the manager has done before. Assuming Odegaard will miss the important match, Ethan Nwaneri could be set for his first-ever Premier League start.
The highly-rated 17-year-old phenom has risen through the ranks to become Odegaard’s backup. Fabio Vieira was previously in this role, but the midfielder was recently sent out on loan because of Nwaneri’s presence. The playmaker scored 18 goals and added four assists in just 21 youth games last season. He is currently the youngest player to ever feature in a Premier League match after appearing for the Gunners at 15 in 2022.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
