Mikel Arteta drops Declan Rice injury update before Inter as Arsenal get Odegaard surprise

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has explained the reason behind Declan Rice’s absence for their Champions League clash against Inter Milan.

Rice didn’t travel to Milan for Wednesday’s clash at the San Siro and there were fears that he could be set for a spell on the sidelines.

The Spaniard had already been left without Norwegian star Martin Odegaard since he returned from international duty injured after suffering ankle ligament damage in September.

Arteta has now clarified why Rice did not travel to Italy for the tricky away tie against the Serie A champions, revealing he picked up an injury in their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday.

“Declan unfortunately picked an injury against Newcastle,” Arteta said. “He was able to finish and he wasn’t feeling good the last few days. “We’ll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he’s ready for Chelsea.

Losing Rice will be regarded as a massive blow as the 25-year-old has made 12 appearances across the Premier League and Champions League this term.

But the Gunners boss has received a boost following the surprise news that his captain Odegaard not only travelled with the squad but is also poised to return to the first-team.

“The positive news, Martin… it’s great to have him back,” he added. “He trained with us first time today. He’s a bit earlier than expected.

“But it’s great to have him here and we will decide if we use him tomorrow.

Odegaard hasn’t featured for the north London side since the 1-1 draw with Brighton on August 31, missing crunch games against Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City – as well as defeats to Bournemouth and Newcastle.

Arteta has been forced to cope with several injuries in the early weeks of the season, with Ben White amongst those to return to action at the weekend.

Despite Odegaard’s absence, Arsenal have made solid progress in the Champions League in the league phase. The Gunners are unbeaten after three matches and have already overcome PSG and Shakhtar Donetsk at home following their goalless draw away at Atalanta.

But facing Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan, who held Manchester City to a goalless draw at the San Siro earlier in the competition, promises to be a tough test without Rice patrolling the midfield.