Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will face a lengthy spell out with a “pretty significant” ankle injury

Arsenal will be without captain Martin Odegaard for an extended period after Mikel Arteta confirmed he has suffered an ankle ligament injury.

The Gunners captain got his comeuppance on international duty with Norway last week, where he was later… Seen on crutches.

Norway coach Stale Solbakken immediately declared that his injury “looked bad”, with the 25 years He subsequently missed Sunday's north London derby.

The Gooners even speculated that the injury was serious after noticing that a football had been placed there. in front of his ankle during his official team photo for the 2024/25 campaign.

And now Arsenal fans' worst fears have come true, with Arteta stating that the midfielder's injury is “quite serious.”

The Spaniard dropped the bombshell at his press conference ahead of Arsenal's Champions League opener against Atalanta on Thursday. Live on talkSPORT.

He said: “After the latest tests, the results showed that he has some damage, especially in one of the ankle ligaments.

“It's a pretty significant thing, so we're going to miss it for a while.”

Arteta added: “He is our captain. He has been one of the most important and best players in our team.

“Our identity is closely tied to how we play and behave.

“It's a great test for the team to see how much we can show a different side.”

Asked how long Odegaard will be out for, Arteta said: “Hopefully not months, but we'll see.”

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Odegaard's injury means he will miss Sunday's crucial away clash with Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

He will also be absent from the Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain on October 1.

Meanwhile, he is almost certain to be ruled out of Premier League games with Leicester, Southampton, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea before the November international break.

Just as Arteta did against Spurs in the 1-0 win, he may be forced to use versatile striker Leandro Trossard in Odegaard's No.8 role.

Their other option would be Hale End graduate Ethan Nwaneri, who made history two years ago by becoming the youngest Premier League player at 15 years and 181 days.

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