Arsenal suffer huge injury worry ahead of North London Derby vs Tottenham as footage emerges
Arsenal have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of this weekend's north London derby at Tottenham after Martin Odegaard limped off during Norway's game against Austria on Monday.
The Gunners, who are already without Declan Rice and Mikel Merino for the trip to Spurs, could now be without Odegaard after he was substituted with an ankle problem.
Odegaard started the match on the right-hand side but went down midway through the second half after colliding with Christoph Baumgartner. He stayed down for a couple of minutes while being treated by the Norway medical staff before a decision was made to take him off.
The Arsenal captain then appeared to stumble to the touchline looking in pain before being replaced by Kristian Thorstvedt, with former Norway striker-turned-broadcaster Jan Age Fjortoft recording footage of Odegaard limping off and describing it as 'worrying' on social media.
It's the last thing Mikel Arteta would have wanted after losing both Rice and Merino for Sunday's game. Rice is suspended following his red card in the 1-1 draw against Brighton before the international break, while Merino is set to miss the next couple of weeks after injuring his shoulder in training.
If Odegaard is out of the trip to Tottenham, Arteta may only have Thomas Partey and Jorginho as recognised central midfielders available. Kai Havertz has been used as a No.8 during his time at the Gunners, but he has impressed up front, scoring twice in their opening three Premier League matches.
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Although Odegaard hasn't scored or assisted this season, he is one of Arsenal's most important players. The Gunners haven't got anyone of his profile in the squad right now and his absence would be a major blow. Odegaard finished last season with eight goals and 10 assists in 35 Premier League appearances.
This comes a matter of days after Riccardo Calafiori looked to pick up an injury during Italy's 3-1 win over France at the Parc des Princes. Calafiori was stretchered off after Ousmane Dembele landed on his calf, with the 22-year-old returning back to Arsenal to be assessed.
The Gunners started the campaign with back-to-back victories over Wolves and Aston Villa, but the draw against Brighton on August 31 has slightly dampened the mood around the Emirates.
Speaking after their most recent outing, Arteta said: "It was a very emotional afternoon, for sure. We started the game really well, created three or four chances that we didn’t convert. After that we had a period with some issues, particularly with the ball and we lacked some dominance in that period.
"We then score a really good goal in a moment when we take advantage of the opponent. Then we go in at half-time, come back and we were really strong.
"Then the referee makes a decision that changes the course of the game. With 10 men, the team reacted unbelievably well, the stadium reacts unbelievably well and we should have won the game."