No Ødegaard no problem! Mikel Arteta lines up possible replacement for Ødegaard and Declan Rice ahead of North London Derby after the captain sustained a nasty injury yesterday
Mikel Arteta will have been desperate for his stars to come back from international duty in the best shape possible, but that doesn’t look likely now.
Arsenal find themselves already playing catch-up in the Premier League after dropping two points against Brighton due to a red card for Declan Rice, which heavily influenced the outcome of the game.
Martin Odegaard has been one of the standout performers for the Gunners in the current campaign, constantly linking midfield to attack and creating opportunities, despite not scoring or assisting.
However, he suffered an injury on international duty last night in a match between Norway and Austria, and the early signs certainly aren’t positive.
It’s feared that the attacking midfielder could be out for a while after he was helped off the pitch as Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner was in a tangle with Odegaard which caused him to twist his ankle.
Now, one of his Norwegian teammates Leo Skiri Østigård has had his say on Odegaard’s condition…
Leo Skiri Østigård speaks on Arsenal star Martin Odegaard’s injury after being substituted in Norway vs Austria
Leo Skiri Østigård started at the heart of the defence for Norway and played the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 win.
After the game, the central defender spoke to NRK and was asked, ‘Martin Odegaard’s injury, how does he take it?’.
The defender replied, “It wasn’t quite good, it seemed. We really have to hope that it passes quickly and that he is back for both Arsenal and us.”
The interview continued and he clearly wasn’t happy with what happened to his teammate.
He was asked by the interviewer, ‘It looked like there was a lot of frustration there?’
He replied, “I think there were a lot of strange things there. I would have liked to have a duel against the guy who took “Ødda” and told him what it’s like to get one back.”
The interviewer then followed up with, “What would have happened then?”
Østigård’s response was, “I’m not going to say it here.”
Where does this leave Arsenal?
Mikel Arteta will be praying that Odegaard’s injury isn’t as bad as many fear.
Odegaard has already been backed by William Saliba to get more assists than Bukayo Saka this season, but that won’t be so easy if he spends a spell on the sidelines.
With the North London derby coming up next against Tottenham, Arteta really could be forced into making some really difficult team selection decisions.
Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Jesus are the obvious options, though it won’t be as simple as inserting them into the lineup as he still has to work out what to do in Rice’s absence.
There have been rumours that Kai Havertz will slot into midfield and Raheem Sterling will go up top, but now the Gunners need another new man in midfield if Odegaard misses out.
