Odegaard suffer injury, doubtful for Arsenal, Tottenham clash

Arsenal have been dealt a huge injury blow to captain Martin Odegaard ahead of Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham.

Odegaard was forced off against Austria on Monday while playing for Norway in the Nations League to throw his involvement in the huge weekend clash into doubt.

After tussling for the ball with Christoph Baumgartner, Odegaard collapsed to the pitch clutching his left ankle.

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Odegaard appeared in agony as he received medical attention and had to be helped from the pitch.

The injury scare leaves Gunners boss Mikel Arteta sweating on the fitness of his skipper six days out from their biggest game of the season so far.

After the short trip across north London, the Gunners then face a daunting trip to Europa League winners Atalanta in their first Champions League game.

Then, four days later, they travel to the Etihad Stadium for a huge title clash with Manchester City.

Odegaard’s suspected twisted ankle was not the only injury scare the Gunners have suffered during the international break.

Summer signing Riccard Calafiori suffered a painful knock to his calf from France’s Ousmane Dembele. He has returned to the Gunners for further evaluation.

Arsenal have already lost ground on reigning champions Manchester City after being held to a 1-1 draw with Brighton before the international break.

While Odegaard and Arsenal will await an official diagnosis, even a Grade one sprain could take at least one and up to three weeks to heal, meaning that his chances of playing this weekend are almost slim to none.

If the Norway skipper has sustained a Grade two sprain, his recovery time would likely be between three and six weeks, while the most serious Grade three injuries can take a number of months to heal.

The fact that Odegaard was able to limp off the field without a stretcher suggests that his sprain is not too severe, but Mikel Arteta will surely have to draw up plans for the derby without his captain.