Major injury scare for Arsenal as Martin Odegaard's forced off in tears

Oh, no. Martin Odegaard was reduced to tears as he was forced off during Norway's UEFA Nations League clash against Austria on Monday night with a suspected ankle injury.

Gunners supporters have merely been trying to survive a typically monotonous maiden international break of the 2024/25 season, with a number of Mikel Arteta's players representing their respective nations across the globe.

While we always want our Gunners to impress for their countries, I don't think there's any doubt that, for us, their safe returns to London Colney are the overwhelming priorities. We've already had a little scare over Riccardo Calafiori, who wasn't in Italy's squad for their 2-1 win over Israel on Monday, but a more serious concern has emerged from Oslo where skipper Odegaard limped off with an ankle issue.

Major injury scare for Arsenal as Martin Odegaard's forced off in tears

Odegaard was said to be carrying a minor knock into the international break and it may well have been a wise move from the club to protect their crucial Scandinavian asset by keeping him in north London for the ongoing break.

Instead, the Arsenal skipper started both of Norway's opening 2024/25 Nations League fixtures before he was forced off 67 minutes into a 2-1 win over Austria on Monday night.

Odegaard twisted his ankle while challenging for a loose ball with RB Leipzig's Christoph Baumgartner. After collapsing to the ground, the Norway captain, clearly in pain, pulled his shirt over his face before eventually limping off while assisted by two physios with tears in his eyes.

It's far too early to dive into timescales after Norway's national team doctor Ola Sand confirmed that Odegaard had sustained a "small ankle sprain".

“It is currently difficult to say anything about the extent of the damage," Sand added post-match. "Ankle sprains are difficult to deal with straight away, so we almost have to see how things go forward." Odegaard will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the issue.

The Gunners are already without summer arrival Mikel Merino and the suspended Declan Rice for Sunday's North London Derby. If Odegaard was to miss out, which looks a distinct possibility, Arteta may well be forced to hand teenager Ethan Nwaneri his first Premier League start.

There are a myriad options, some of which creative, if Odegaard spends a period on the sidelines, and we can only hope that the skipper's ankle injury doesn't force Arteta to delve into such possibilities. It's hard to imagine Arteta's Arsenal without it's Scandi spark, with Odegaard boasting a pretty pristine injury record since joining the club.

The 25-year-old has missed nine games for club and country since his arrival midway through the 2020/21 season. There will be fears that he'll be adding more games to that tally with a busy September upcoming.

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