Arteta confirms Odegaard faces extended absence due to ligament Injury
In recent developments, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has announced that club captain Martin Odegaard has suffered a ligament injury in his ankle and will be out of action “for a while” after the Norwegian incurred it during international duty.
Odegaard missed the win against Tottenham by Arsenal in the north London derby after limping off during Norway’s recent victory over Austria. Arteta had initially hoped that the scans would show a quicker recovery. However, before Arsenal’s Champions League opener against Atalanta, the manager confirmed that Martin Odegaard injury was more serious than expected.
Speaking about the same, he said, “After everything was scanned, the scan showed he has got some damage, especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle. We are going to miss him. I don’t want to [give a timeline] because I am not a doctor but yes, it is something quite significant so we are going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months, but let’s see.”
Odegaard absent, and Calafiori, and Saka are cleared to play
Martin Odegaard did not join Arsenal’s squad for their trip to Italy, where they will face last season’s Europa League champions on Thursday. However, summer signing Riccardo Calafiori has been declared fit after recovering from an injury sustained during international duty.
Bukayo Saka is also available for selection, despite being substituted early in the match against Tottenham. Arteta acknowledged that the team must now adapt to playing without Ødegaard, who has been a regular presence, missing only five Premier League matches in the past three seasons. Ødegaard will also be unavailable for the upcoming match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Arsenal reached the knockout stages of last season’s Champions League for the first time since 2017, despite suffering defeats in three of their five away matches. Their campaign ended in the quarter-finals with a loss to Bayern Munich. This season, they face a challenging opening match against Gian Piero Gasperini’s side. However, Mikel Arteta remains optimistic, expressing confidence that the team’s unbeaten Premier League away record, which has been intact since last year, will provide them with the necessary boost.
