Arsenal visit Tottenham for a Premier League north London derby on Sunday
(Image credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
It was the sight that no Arsenal fan wanted to see during the international break.
With the Gunners already facing a couple of midfield absentees with Declan Rice suspended and Mikel Merino still sidelined ahead of Sunday's north London derby, seeing skipper Martin Odegaard limp out of action for Norway was the last thing Mikel Arteta would have wanted.
Odergaard suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Norway's Nations League win over Austria on Monday night, the timing of which could barely have been worse, considering the Gunners face Atalanta and Manchester City in the seven days following their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Will Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard be fit enough to play against Tottenham on Sunday?
Arsenal are yet to comment on the severity of Odegaard's injury, with Mikel Arteta due to face the media on Friday morning.
The status of his skipper will be top of the agenda, with the club currently assessing the injury after the player underwent an MRI scan.
However, quotes from Norway's team doctor earlier this week appear to indicate that the 25-year-old is a huge doubt for Sunday's north London derby and is set for a spell on the sidelines.
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Martin Odegaard was injured with Norway in midweek (Image credit: Mateusz Slodkowski/Getty Images)
“Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks," Ola Sand told the Norwegian media. Anything other than that is just a bonus. And then it can take longer
“What we have so far obtained from the MRI examination in London is that there is probably no fracture in the ankle.”
Arsenal make the short trip across north London looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League following their 1-1 draw with Brighton before the international break, while Spurs have won one, drawn one and lost one of their opening three matches so far this term.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
