Mikel Arteta has already found Arsenal's Martin Ødegaard replacement

When Martin Ødegaard was eventually withdrawn on Saturday, needing treatment for the third time after suffering a clash of knees with West Ham's Crysencio Summerville, Arsenal fans must have been fearing the worst.

It's not just that Ødegaard had returned from two shoulder injuries and was already firing on all cylinders that would have bothered Gooners. It's the concern that they've seen it all before.

First, a key player gets injured, then another. What follows is a slight drop in form that takes Arsenal out of the title race. Finally, those players return and things improve. Sadly, by then the damage has already been done.

Ødegaard injury record has hurt Arsenal

Ødegaard's injury record has hurt Arsenal's chances over recent seasons.

Last season, he was missing for 14 matches with an ankle ligament sprain during which Arsenal dropped vital points away at Bournemouth and Newcastle. They also failed to beat Liverpool at home.

Ødegaard's injury was compounded by the hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka which kept him out of action for 21 matches. Given those injuries, finishing second in the Premier League and making it through to the semi-finals of the Champions League is little short of a miracle.

After losing Ødegaard on the half-hour mark, Arteta had so many options still available to him. Some may have raised their eyebrows at the introduction of Martin Zubimendi who until now has played a conservative role at the base of the Arsenal midfield.

Comparing the two Martin's may be a little unfair but it's absolutely necessary. Ødegaard offers defence splitting through balls; Zubimendi offers safe, sideways and backwards passing. One creates chances, the other focuses on ball retention.

The perfect replacement for Ødegaard

That was before Saturday. Against West Ham, fans witnessed a different Zubimendi. A forward passing, chance creating incarnation of Zubi.

In the 60 minutes that he played after coming on for Ødegaard, Zubimendi made 5 passes into the final third and he got forward far more than he had done in previous games. Aside from the outrageous double that he scored against Nottingham Forest, Zubimendi has played with the handbrake firmly on and the gearbox in neutral.

If Arteta can continue to encourage Zubimendi to pass forward and to get forward, he could be the perfect replacement for Ødegaard. He has the passing range to unlock defences but not yet the vision. However, with the Dane missing for anything up to 12 weeks, depending on the severity of his MCL injury, Zubimendi will need to take a few more risks going forward.

Increased squad depth gives Arteta options

Of course, Arteta still has options. Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, and Max Dowman all like to play in an advanced central midfield role.

Declan Rice could even be pushed forward with Zubimendi or Christian Nørgaard playing in a deeper role. Such has been the quality of the recruitment over the summer that even a player of Ødegaard's undoubted quality may not be greatly missed.

If Zubimendi can mimic a little of Ødegaard's playing style, not only will he become a better player for it, but also Arsenal will barely notice that Ødegaard is missing.