Martin Odegaard injury update as Norway boss gives concerning dressing room verdict

Arsenal face an anxious wait to discover the extent of Martin Odegaard’s injury after their captain was taken off while on international duty.

Odegaard appeared to twist his ankle during their UEFA Nations League match against Austria in Oslo on Monday night. The Gunners playmaker required treatment from Norway’s medical team before he walked off gingerly, with help from Manchester City star Erling Haaland.

The 25-year-old hobbled off and looked to be in some discomfort as he covered his face with his shirt, before he was later substituted by manager Stale Solbakken, who said after the match: “Martin Odegaard’s injury looked bad in the dressing room as well.”

Norway doctor Ola Sand added: “He got a small ankle sprain. We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it.”

It remains to be seen how serious the injury is, but Odegaard’s injury will undoubtedly raise some questions as to whether he should have been playing in the first place.

The midfielder suffered a blow to his ankle in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton last weekend and was substituted in the 73rd minute. Despite that, he reported for international duty with Norway after appearing to shake off the problem.

His manager Solbakken even admitted Odegaard had sustained a ‘bang’ to his ankle, but started him against Austria anyway.

The Arsenal boss will have only a few days with his team to prepare for the north London derby clash against Tottenham on Sunday. And the prospect of losing Odegaard to injury will cause a headache for the Spaniard.

He is already being forced to shuffle around his squad to cope with the absence of Declan Rice, who is suspended for the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following his red card against Brighton.

He will now be waiting anxiously to discover the extent of Odegaard’s injury, with an ankle twist likely to rule him out of action as the clash is only six days away.

Then there is the matter of playing Atalanta in the Champions League league phase on September 19, followed by a monumental clash against title favourites Manchester City three days later.

It comes just two days after Riccardo Calafiori was injured while playing for Italy on international duty, leaving Arteta frustrated as players return to training at London Colney with fitness issues.

Gabriel Jesus has already been sidelined with a groin problem and with the transfer window now closed, there is no solution for Arteta to address the problems he is facing.