Mikel Arteta reveals extent of Martin Odegaard ankle injury

Mikel Arteta failed to provide good news on the Martin Odegaard injury front as the Arsenal boss confirmed his captain will be out "for a while".

Arteta was speaking ahead of the Gunners' Champions League opener against Atalanta on Thursday, with his side aiming to build on the momentum gained from an impressive North London Derby win ahead of Sunday's crucial domestic bout away at Manchester City.

Odegaard has been out of action since the international break after he sustained an ankle injury during Norway's 2-1 victory over Austria on 9 September. The captain underwent scans on his return to north London, but information was initially scarce over the severity of his injury.

However, Arteta delivered an update no Arsenal supporter wanted to hear on Wednesday.

Martin Odegaard out "for a while" - risks spending months on the sidelines

Speaking ahead of Thursday's clash in Bergamo, Arteta confirmed Odegaard had sustained ankle ligament damage that he hopes won't keep him sidelined for months.

“After a recent scan, he has some damage on one of the ligaments in the ankle,” the Spaniard said. “We are going to miss him. It is something quite significant so we are going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months.”

Speculation has already surfaced among supposed Arsenal ITKs that Odegaard could be out for at least two months, with the skipper potentially not returning until November at the very earliest.

Despite the presence of two international breaks before the end of the year, Arsenal's upcoming schedule is hectic and Odegaard is bound to miss several crucial fixtures. The captain will, of course, be absent at the Etihad on Sunday and is likely to miss Premier League clashes against Liverpool on 27 October and and Newcastle on 2 November.

Odegaard could also miss out on Champions League ties against Paris Saint-Germain on 2 October and Inter on 6 November.

But hey, Sunday's North London Derby showed this Arsenal team can win games - and big ones at that - in the absence of their influential captain. Arteta has options at his disposal to mitigate Odegaard's injury, including 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who surely has a role to play over the coming weeks.

READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS HERE!