Arsenal are set to without captain Martin Odegaard for an extended period with Mikel Arteta confirming he has suffered ankle ligament damage.
The Gunners skipper picked up his knock on international duty for Norway last week, where he was later spotted on crutches.
Norway boss Stale Solbakken immediately stated that his injury ‘looked bad’, with the 25-year-old subsequently missing Sunday’s north London derby.
Gooners even speculated that the injury was a bad one after noticing a football was placed in front of his ankle during their official team photo for the 2024/25 campaign.
And now Arsenal fans’ worst fears have been realised, with Arteta stating the midfielder’s injury is ‘quite significant’.
The Spaniard dropped the bombshell news in his press conference ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League opener away at Atalanta on Thursday, live on talkSPORT.
He said: “After recent scans the scans showed that he’s got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle.
“It’s something quite significant so we’re going to lose him for a while.”
Arteta added: “He’s our captain. He’s been one of the biggest and best players in our team.
“Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves.
“It’s a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face.”
Pressed on how long Odegaard faces out, Arteta stated: “Hopefully not months, but let’s see.”
Odegaard’s injury blow means he will play no part in Sunday’s crucial clash away at Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
He will also be absent for the glamour Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain on October 1.
Meanwhile he will almost be certainly out of the Premier League games with Leicester, Southampton, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea before the November international break.
Just as Arteta did against Spurs in the 1-0 victory, he may be forced to play versatile forward Leandro Trossard in Odegaard’s free-roaming No.8 role.
His other option would be Hale End graduate Ethan Nwaneri, who made history two years ago by becoming the Premier League’s youngest player aged 15 years and 181 days old.
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