Arsenal are waiting to see whether captain Martin Odegaard will be available to face Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby.
Mikel Arteta already had to deal with the suspension of Declan Rice, and an injury to new signing Mikel Merino, but was handed an extra headache as Odegaard picked up an injury during the International break.
It has been suggested that Odegaard’s injury could keep him out for three weeks, which would mean he misses trips to face Spurs and Manchester City, in a disastrous blow.
However, the midfielder has not been completely ruled out yet, and Arteta has now given a promising update on his injury.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta revealed that Odegaard needs to undergo more tests before he be included or ruled out of the North London Derby.
“We need some more tests. 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. He is super positive about everything. Martin wants to be there every single day, but we have to wait and see,” Arteta stated.
“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.”
Arteta then refused to rule Odegaard out of contention.
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“Players with 48 hours [before the game] are always available. Let’s see what happens,” he added.
Can Martin Odegaard start for Arsenal at Tottenham?
Odegaard may not have been ruled out of contention yet, but the unfortunate reality for Arsenal is that he is unlikely to be able to start even if passed fit.
His injury, which saw him painfully twist his ankle, meant that he needed crutches to walk earlier this week. Even if his injury is not serious, the swelling around it will mean that he is not at full fitness even if available.
Given that Arsenal also have a trip to Man City coming up next week, they may benefit from Odegaard being given additional time to fully recover, even though he will be a huge loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.