Thursday, October 3, 2024

Arteta: Odegaard ligament injury ‘quite significant’

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will be without Martin Odegaard ‘for a while’ after the scans revealed the Norway international had suffered ligament damage to his ankle.

The Spaniard was reticent to talk in detail about the seriousness of Odegaard’s issue either side of the win at Sp*rs but opened up on the subject ahead of Thursday’s Champions League opener with Atalanta having received the results of more scans.

“Recent scans show that he’s got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle,” Arteta told his pre-game press conference in Bergamo.

“I don’t want to do that [give a timeline] 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 we’ll see.”

Medics associated with the Norway national team, under whose watch he suffered the injury, speculated that Odegaard would be sidelined for at least three weeks. As such, Arsenal fans have been braced for bad news for a while.

Of course, it remains unclear whether Arsenal’s assessment matches that timeline.

While the October Interlull does afford Odegaard a little extra window to recover without missing further domestic matches, he’ll still miss six matches before then.

Asked how his side will cope, Arteta said: “We have to show that [we can], obviously, he’s our captain, he’s one of our biggest players without a doubt, he’s been one of the most consistent players in the last two or three seasons. Our identity is very related to his way of playing and his way of behaving. We’re going to have to deal with that.

“That’s a great test for the team as well, how capable we are to show maybe a different face and the fact that we have other players and other options that can be still very effective.”

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David C

Oh boy! Someone else will have to step up or is too late to get a refund for ESR 🙂

Best of luck in recovery, captain Ode!!!

I really, really hate interlulls…

Bleeding Gums Murphy

Hearing it’s two months. What a miss. Fecking pocksie nations league shite. Others will step up. It’s time to show the world Nwaneri COYG

Henkamp

I think Ethan is ready!

Lately, I have been looking at teams like Barca give their youth products a chance regardless of their age… I think we should do the same — trust the boys to deliver.

I mean, if Ethan does come in, he has Rice and Partey behind and beside him to cover him. The way he blocked that Son’s shot on Sunday shows he is also not afraid to do the dirty part of the job like our skipper. Let him loose, I say!

Funsho Patrick

Hopefully we’ve found our own lamine yamal! Talk about dropping in at the deep end, Atalanta and City Away…. Good luck Ethan Nwaneri…

El Mintero

Would be very surprised if he plays against city…

martinhaze

This is the reason to have kept ESR. He was the perfect Ode deputy.

Brazilian Gooner

It’s Ethan time then

Frosty

Nwan can do it better than him!

Heavenly Chapecoense

Hope not “Eaten” time.

Love the boy and believe in him though.

William Nilliam

Feckity feck

PeteyB

You read my mind

TotsOfJack

The horrible sinking feeling I felt when Timber went down last season multiplied by a hundred.
Why can’t we just catch a break for once?!

Okester

Or stopping catching breaks altogether even!

Daveo

Especially international breaks

El Mintero

Injuries happen. We were quite lucky last year avoiding anything serious. If you’re truly the best you’ll still win regardless. Let’s see how they deal with this challenge, will tell us a lot about our team.

Fiachra

Grind out the 1-0s. Then go on the rampage wjen he’s fit enough to influence our straightforward 2025 fixtures.

Parlour’s Pay Packet

Stadiums are empty, everywhere we goooo!

ALBangbang

Stupid pointless international friendlies. So close to the Euros and so far from a tournament. What a waste.

Carole

All internationals are pointless. I hate international football.

Alberto Balsam Mendez Rodriguez

Indeed, a waste of good footballers.

Adney Toams

Oh I’m so glad someone else feels like me! I thought it was just me being too “Club-minded” – well, I know I am really….

Cranky Colin

I always love the National team medics spouting on……… generally sooooo fucking clueless
If I had a granny, I wouldn’t even send her to a national team doctor for an opinion.
Piss off

Absolute Camel

Well that’s a shitter.

Lord Bendnter

Fuck all internationals, all over the world, fuck all countries equally

Rich

Especially THAT country. They know who they are…

Theenge

Arsenal must stay in the title until the captain is back. A cursory glance at Arsenal’s next eight matches suggest the gunners can remain in the title fight until about 27 Oct when Liverpool comes to town. But first, a no-loss approach to Man City game on sunday will stand the gunners in good stead

ALBangbang

Thanks ChatGPT

Daveo

That’s something a Cylon would say to throw us off the trail.

Fenko

I knew it.
The secrecy around the updates for a while from MA tells me the Norway coach was lieing about the injury.
Speedy recovery Martin. If we can survive City away, we should be able to manage the squad without him for other teams.

Ian

Seriously
Who cares about internationals.
I know players have to say they love playing for their country and I’m sure some do but it’s about as exciting as watching pro bowling.
Nowhere near the level of the club ball

Emi Rates

They say it because if they say otherwise the media and everyone else start pissing down their backs. Only Benny Blanco has had the balls to almost say it as it is.

Fuck interlulls!

Mark

Unfortunately ligament damage in the ankle can take a long time to fully heal and can linger even after the player returns. We need to make sure we don’t rush him back as we will need him to stay fit once he returns. Will be interesting to see how Arteta adjusts. Does Nwaneri get a shot ever, will have Havertz move back into midfield for the majority of the time, can Trossard adapt to an attacking mid role, maybe Saka or even Zinchenko could get a chance in attacking mid. No matter what the adjustments are we are greatly going… Read more »

Fenko

Is Zinchenko ever available for pick?

El Mintero

Sell him in January and pick up some decent cover for MO.

Arun

So with ankle ligaments, what’s the timeline? If he’s back by end of oct, then it’s not too bad. But if this stretches to Nov/Dec, we are so screwed.

Fatgooner

It’s time for this young boy Ethan to show what he can do. I can only assume that the reason why Arteta let ESR go without replacing him was that he believed that EN was ready. We’ll see now.

I just hope that Havertz doesn’t get injured: we don’t have a single striker in the squad.

PatJ

I think we will be ok. With the best defence in the league, and Raya in goal, we will not let in many goals, sometimes one, very rarely two. With Saka, Havertz, GJ, Sterling, Trussard and the other lads we will always score quite a few. Maybe we will not have as many 3-0 and 4-0 wins as we would like, but we will win and win.

That said, get well Martin!

Fatgooner

It was a great result at Spuds but we badly missed Odegaard. There was a severe lack of creativity in the middle of the park. This injury will badly hurt the team.

Let’s hope Ethan can step up big time.

Btgooner

I don’t disagree, but I trust Arteta has something in mind regarding this new face. Maybe Saka comes inside?

Bleeding Gums Murphy

Trossard didn’t work and I believe he is actually just a wonderful sub who comes on with 20/25 left and creates. He doesn’t do it enough when he starts.

Dr. Gooner

If you saw the images this is not a surprise. My only surprise is he didn’t break any bones. “Ankle ligament injury” is not much more informative than “ankle injury.” Because if you injured your ankle, it’s either bone or ligament. There are several ligaments that hold the bones of the foot to the bones of the lower leg. And each of them can be damaged a little or completely avulsed from the bone one either end. The severity and time scale is totally dependent on these factors plus individual patient factors such as degree and length of inflammation, and… Read more »

El Mintero

In other words, he might be out a long time depending on how bad his ankle sprain is. Right. Got it.

Dr. Gooner

Sarcasm noted.

Fabregasted

Thanks, Doc!

Determination Cultured

Vieira should have stayed. Thank goodness we brought sterling in.

El Mintero

Why? Viera is shite. ESR on the other hand…

Wengerball

Will be interesting to see how Saka’s game is affected by this…

truj

No more “great test” please with injuries!

DeNeelson

I remember De Bruyne picking up an injury at the beginning of last season. We hoped that will hamper City’s form. Of course it did not. Big teams find a way even without their absolute best players. If we are to compete at that same level, then we must find a way to play without our captain. We can’t replace him like for like, but I trust Arteta and the team in this one.

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