Worried Arsenal fans have been given hope about Martin Odegaard’s injury by Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners skipper is set for a significant spell out of action after he sustained an ankle injury during the recent round of Nations League games, missing Sunday’s north London derby win over Tottenham as a result. Losing Odegaard for months would deal a major blow to Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes.
Arteta gave an update on his condition ahead of the Gunners’ Champions League opener away to Atalanta tonight (Thursday). Studious Gunners fans reckon the Spaniard’s reaction to questions about the 25-year-old means his time on the sidelines may not be as long as feared.
Asked about by a reporter if it would be months, the smiling Spaniard replied: “Hopefully not months, but we’ll see.”
A Gunners fan who shared the clip posted: “ALWAYS worth watching pressers when big news comes out. This was Mikel's full response about Odegaard. Kind of laughs at the idea that it will be months and pushes back. Sounds more optimistic than reported, imo.”
Another added: “My read too - fingers crossed.” A third said: “100%. He’s said ‘a while’ before and it was like 3 weeks. He very much dismissed months (which to me is 3+). Think he comes back after the next intl break.”
A fourth pointed out: “He also said Odegaard was in contention for the NLD, so I'd take everything he says with a very large pinch of salt.” A fifth added: “It looks to me more like he’s genuinely hoping it isn’t months, indicating that it’s a possibility.”
Arteta gave little away when addressing Odegaard’s injury. He explained: “After recent scans the scans showed that he’s got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle. We’re gonna miss him."
He added: “I don’t want to do that [give a timescale] because I’m not a doctor. But it’s something quite significant so we’re going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months but let’s see.”
Arteta will however have Declan Rice available for this weekend's early title clash against Manchester City after the England midfielder missed the north London derby through suspension.