Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta confirmed that team captain Martin Odegaard will be “out for a while” after suffering an ankle injury.
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Arteta says Odegaard will be out “for a while”
Odegaard, 25, limped out of the game during Norway’s Nations League defeat against Austria in Oslo on September 9.
Arteta confirmed that Odegaard sustained a damaged ligaments in his ankle.
“After everything was scanned, the scan showed he has got some damage, especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle,” said Arteta.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken told VG newspaper that the team will be “preparing for a life without Martin.”
“We have to take it week by week and day by day. Some types of damage go faster and some go slower,” he said.
“We are going to miss him”
Odegaard has become a key player for Arsenal, missing only five games over the last three seasons.
However, his absence will be a huge blow in Arsenal’s campaign.
“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.”
“He is our captain, he is one of our biggest players without a doubt. He has been one of the most consistent players in the last two or three seasons. “
“Our identity is very related to his way of playing and his way of behaving. We are going to have to deal with that.”
“That is a great test for the team as well, of how capable we are to show maybe a different face and the fact we have other players and other options that can still be very effective.”
