The ankle injury suffered by Arsenal and Norway captain Martin Odegaard is going to cost him more than the North London derby versus Tottenham.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta initially said that Odegaard might not miss the Gunners’ win over Spurs but that appears to have had a heaping helping of gamesmanship behind it.
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A sloppy challenge from Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner caught Odegaard on the back of his left ankle during the September international break. The Norwegian hopped up, grabbed the back of that foot, and hit the deck.
Photos from Norwegian outlet VG showed Odegaard on crutches without a shoe on his left foot as he boarded a plane to head back to London.
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Norwegian boss Stale Solbakken’s postgame report said the injury didn’t look good and Norway team doctor Ola Sand said he thought it would take at least three weeks for Odegaard to recover
The Gunners, after all, go to Spurs on Sunday for a derby against their heated rivals, then head to Atalanta and Manchester City for huge games in their respective Champions League and Premier League title fights.
Norway doctor Ola Sand expounded upon the injury a day after the match versus Austria. But Arsenal boss Arteta offered a “let’s wait and see” prognosis ahead of the derby.
Now, as Arsenal prepare for their Champions League return, Arteta is singing a more serious tune.
“The scan showed some damage around the ligaments in the ankle so we are going to miss him,” Arteta said prior to Arsenal’s Thursday match with Atalanta, via the BBC. “It’s something quite significant so we are going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months.”
