Martin Odegaard suffers 'significant' ankle injury as Mikel Arteta offers update

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines as a result of the ankle injury that he suffered on international duty earlier this month

Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will be missing "for a while" after suffering "significant" damage to his ankle during the recent international break.

Odegaard missed Sunday's North London derby due to the issue, though it remained unclear at the time how long he would be absent for.

But on the eve of Arsenal's Champions League opener against Atalanta, Arteta has delivered a fairly bleak update.

The Spaniard revealed: "After recent scans the scans showed that he’s got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle. It’s something quite significant so we’re going to lose him for a while."

The news comes on a pivotal week for Arsenal, who travel to title rivals Manchester City on Sunday in their next Premier League fixture.

When he was asked how the team will get by without their captain, Arteta responded: "He’s our captain. He’s been one of the biggest and best players in our team. Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves. It’s a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face."

While Odegaard will not play any part in Arsenal's match with Atalanta, there was better news on the injury front elsewhere with both Riccardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka back in training.

The latter limped off in the latter stages of Sunday's 1-0 win at arch-rivals Tottenham. They will be joined in the squad by Declan Rice, who missed the derby through suspension.

Arsenal struggled on the road in Europe last season, but Arteta insisted that the Gunners would need to be at it both home and away if they are to advance to the latter stages of the new-look competition.

"If we want to be at the level we want to be we have to be really good on the road and at home," the Arsenal chief said. "We have to continue to be very consistent. In Europe it’s very tough to win just like in the Premier League. Hopefully we can be better.

"You don’t know the opponents that well and then boxes become crucial. There are small moments that define the games. In Europe you’d better be at your best."

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