A former Norwegian national team doctor has revealed that Martin Odegaard could be set for an extended period on the sidelines in a hammer-blow for Mikel Arteta.
The Arsenal skipper was forced off after just 30 minutes of his side’s clash with West Ham United on the weekend after a ‘knee-on-knee’ collision with Crysencio Summerville.
The attacking midfielder left the Emirates with his knee in a brace and an MRI scan later revealed that he had suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee.
Arsenal did not specify how long the knock is expected to keep Odegaard out of action but Lars Engebretsen, once the Norwegian national team’s doctor, has warned it could be up to two months.
He told Scandinavian paper Dagbladet: ‘I don’t have information about exactly what the MRI showed but based on the injury video, it could be a lateral ligament injury.
‘If it is such an injury, Odegaard risks being out for six to eight weeks but it depends on the size.
Martin Odegaard was forced off with a knee injury during Arsenal’s clash with West Ham
Manager Mikel Arteta later revealed that his skipper left The Emirates in a knee brace
‘It could also be a more extensive injury, cruciate ligaments maybe. In that case, the period on the sidelines could be longer.’
The 26-year-old set an unwanted Premier League record when he was substituted on the weekend, becoming the first player to be withdrawn before half-time in three consecutive matches.
He had previously been forced off against both Nottingham Forest and Leeds with an ongoing shoulder problem.
And the Norwegian himself fears his latest setback could be a more serious one than those he previously suffered, Arteta revealed after his side’s 2-0 victory over the Hammers.
‘I just spoke to him, he’s not positive about it. He’s got a brace on,’ the Spaniard said.
‘We’ll have to wait and see from the doctors, but we haven’t been very lucky with that either.
‘We haven’t had him since the start of the season for one reason or the other. The shoulder twice and then this injury.
‘We’ll have to wait and see the extent of that injury, and we’ll find solutions, but obviously he’s our captain and is a player that gives us a completely different dimension with the things that he can do, especially in attacking.’
Odegaard has been forced off during the first-half of his last three Premier League appearances for the Gunners
Arsenal’s victory saw them leap-frog Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table
In better news for the Gunners, their victory saw them leap-frog Liverpool to the top of the Premier League.
They sit one point clear of Arne Slot’s side, who slumped to a last-minute 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.
Arsenal face a trip to Fulham after the international break before hosting Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and later Crystal Palace.
Speaking ahead of the fixtures, the Gunners boss said: ‘We know how difficult those games are going to be but we wanted to come here because we had some very difficult fixtures, playing some of the top teams, some of them away and with some big injuries as well.
‘We had to adjust a lot of things with some players who were coming as well from big injuries and surgeries in the first few weeks of the season.
‘So it’s been a challenge but the team has been, I think, very convincing in performances and results and it’s a good platform now to continue.’
