Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has shed new light on the injury sustained by captain Martin Odegaard on international duty ahead of Sunday’s clash with Tottenham.
Arteta risks being without his captain and creative lynchpin for the north London derby after he limped off during Norway’s Nations League match with Austria on Monday. The team doctor revealed that Odegaard’s ankle is ‘unlikely’ to be fractured but his issue would likely take at least three weeks to clear up.
Gunners manager Arteta was more reluctant to put a timeframe on his skipper’s return to action, and even seemed to suggest that he is not completely out of the running to face Spurs.
“We need some more tests,” he said during a press conference on Friday. “Let’s see what happens in the next day or so. This afternoon probably. Let’s see the extent of the injury and how quickly we can get him back.
“Martin wants to be here every day but we have to wait and see. I leave that to the doctor. He’s willing and he wants to be present in every game. We need to make sure we know first how good he is or not. Players with 48 hours are always available. Let’s see what happens.”
