Martin Odegaard may be out of action for Arsenal for some time after suffering a worrying-looking injury while playing for Norway on international duty.
Amidst an ongoing injury issue, the Arsenal skipper is facing an anxious wait to discover how long he will be out for.
According to rumours in Norway, Odegaard may be out for up to a month, making him a major doubt for Sunday’s North London derby. Arsenal fans were worried to see Odegaard boarding a private plane while using crutches, which suggested even more scare.
Hopefully, the injury to his ankle sustained on Monday night while playing for his country won’t be too severe, as Arsenal will evaluate him over in the coming days. They will run scans on Odegaard to determine the extent of the injuries he sustained in a challenge following Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner.
Norway’s manager Ståle Solbakken revealed to Norwegian publication VG his concerns that his skipper might be sidelined until the next international break on October 10 against Slovenia.
That would be a major setback for Arsenal, who have three important games in a row starting on Sunday against Tottenham, their season-opening Champions League match at Atalanta, and their game against Manchester City.
Arsenal face anxious wait for Martin Odegaard scan
Although Arsenal have stated that they will wait to hear back from the scan, they will also be without new signing Mikel Merino, who will be sidelined for six to eight weeks due to a fractured shoulder. Declan Rice will be missing due to suspension; he was sent out against Brighton last month for two yellow cards, leaving Arsenal shorthanded for one of their most important games of the year.
Arsenal will also have to wear new colours for the North London derby. Due to a clash with Tottenham jersey, the Premier League and PGMOL have informed Arsenal that they are unable to wear their customary red home uniform due to excessive white on the back of the jersey.
Arsenal, who will now wear black, requested permission from the Premier League to wear their red shirt. However, the request was denied, and it has since been revealed that the club was informed in the summer of the possible clash of uniforms. Production started well before the summer issue surfaced, thanks to the advance orders for the kits, and Arsenal chose to move forward despite it.
Spurs will now have to wear their away uniform in the rematch at the Emirates, marking the first time in recent seasons that any team has had to switch colours.
Jarred Gillett’s selection as referee on the other hand for the North London derby is unlikely to excite Arsenal.
When Gillett failed to dismiss Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera for grabbing Kai Havertz by the throat on the first weekend of the season, Arsenal supporters became enraged.
After a strange incident involving Gabriel Jesus, in which the Colombian grabbed the Arsenal striker by the bum and allegedly stuck a finger up his ass, the Australian referee did not take any action against Mosquera either. Jesus was instead booked for his response.
Upon Gillett’s assignment, he will have officiated TWO of Arsenal’s opening four games this season. Last season, Gillett was also the referee who denied Havertz’s late attempt against Aston Villa.
