Jorginho hints Arsenal have found their Martin Odegaard replacement

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is out of action through injury. However, Jorginho thinks that a certain Arsenal player can replace him in his absence.

Arsenal return to UEFA Champions League action tonight. It is the second part of their away-triple-header. In the space of a week, they have faced Tottenham and now it's onto Atalanta and Man City.

In the new UEFA Champions League format, Arsenal will face eight teams. Atalanta, the Europa League champions, just happen to be the first of those eight matches.

With some big wins already happening in the first gameweek, Arsenal will hope for a high-flying start. Already, Bayern Munich sit top of the table with a +7 goal difference and Celtic are just behind with a +4 goal difference.

Jorginho hints Arsenal have found their Martin Odegaard replacement

Speaking ahead of the game, Jorginho has heaped a tonne of praise onto Ethan Nwaneri. The teenager could play in this match, as a result of Martin Odegaard being ruled out through injury.

In his own words, Jorginho said: “[Nwaneri is] a young lad who is growing a lot and is improving every single day. A talented player with good skills who can dribble, break lines, find the goal and find the pass, I think he can have a good future in front of him if he stays the way he’s been training and tries to improve every day."

Ethan Nwaneri came on at the weekend to play against Tottenham Hotspur. This was probably an unplanned introduction, since Bukayo Saka went down injured.

For tonight's match, Bukayo Saka is believed to be in contention. However, Martin Odegaard is out of contention, since his injury is serious and could leave him out of the squad for quite some time.

Without a doubt, losing Martin Odegaard is a tough one for Arsenal to take. It is particularly tough considering the congested and challenging fixture period they find themselves in currently.

However, to be champions, Arsenal must overcome obstacles such as this. It remains to be seen who will start in the midfield tonight, but Nwaneri certainly must be in the conversation.

The Champions League is not the place for squad rotation but with an eye on that Etihad Stadium fixture this weekend, there hasn't been a better time to throw Nwaneri into the deep end.

Regardless, Nwaneri could even play a role from the bench.

READ MORE ARSENAL NEWS: