Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard injured days before north London derby

Arsenal have been dealt a blow ahead of the north London derby after captain Martin Odegaard was carried off the pitch in tears after suffering an ankle injury.

Odegaard started for Norway in their Nations League match against Austria on Monday night but required treatment 20 minutes into the second half after twisting his ankle in a tussle with Christoph Baumgartner.

During a battle for a loose ball, the RB Leipzig striker’s leg caused Odegaard to break his ankle upon landing.

The Arsenal playmaker was visibly in pain and remained on the ground before receiving treatment on the pitch from the Norwegian medical team. The 25-year-old was consoled by fellow countryman and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland as he left the pitch in tears with the help of physiotherapists.

“It looked painful in the dressing room,” Norway coach Stale Solbakken said after the game. “I saw he was sitting with the physios around him but there was no chance of him continuing. We know it was a sprained ankle and those of us who have played football know that with luck it can be okay if the ligaments are not torn. It’s not certain that Arteta will call me tonight to congratulate me.”

Norwegian team doctor Ola Sand added: “Martin is doing quite well now. He had a small sprain in his ankle. We will see what happens next and what we do about it during the evening and tomorrow. We will examine him when we get back to the hotel. Maybe we will use an ultrasound to check it. If we are not sure, we will have an MRI tomorrow.”

Should the injury prove serious, Arsenal would be without their captain for the club’s crucial run of fixtures after the international break, starting with the north London derby at Tottenham on Sunday. Mikel Arteta’s side then begin their Champions League campaign against Europa League winners Atalanta in Italy before a huge Premier League clash against title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on September 22.

Odegaard’s suspected injury is another frustrating moment in Arsenal’s early season. Declan Rice is suspended for the Spurs clash after his controversial red card against Brighton and new £32million signing Mikel Merino is sidelined with a fractured shoulder after a collision with centre-back Gabriel Maghalhaes in his first training session with the club.

In Odegaard’s absence, Norway managed to claim all three points after Haaland scored the winning goal to secure a 2-1 victory with just ten minutes remaining.