It was a dramatic Monday night for Arsenal supporters, who saw captain Martin Odegaard limp off in tears 67 minutes into Norway’s UEFA Nations League victory over Austria.

2024/25 is a huge season for this Gunners outfit having twice pushed Manchester City in the title race, with Mikel Arteta perhaps having only one more chance to usurp Pep Guardiola before the City boss jets off into the sunset – and guides England to World Cup glory in New York.

Club captain Odegaard is critical to Arteta’s Arsenal. His impressive availability and undoubted brilliance with the ball at his feet means it’s hard to imagine the Premier League title hopefuls functioning optimally without him.

It’s a nervy time for supporters given how significant a prolonged Odegaard absence could potentially be.

Here’s the latest on Odegaard’s injury setback and when he could return to action.

The Norway captain twisted his ankle while challenging for a loose ball with Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner.

A still image of the incident showed Odegaard’s ankle twisting 90 degrees, and Norway’s team doctor Ola Sand confirmed post-match that the midfielder had picked up a “small ankle sprain”. Odegaard was forced off of Norway’s 2-1 win after 67 minutes, with the tearful skipper limping off while assisted by two physios.

While Sand described Odegaard’s injury as a “small ankle sprain”, the severity of the injury will not become fully clear until the midfielder has undergone an MRI scan.

Arsenal’s captain will fly back to London and have his MRI on Tuesday. A clearer picture of when Odegaard could return to action will then develop.

If Odegaard has merely sustained a grade one sprain, he’ll likely be day-to-day and able to return relatively quickly. However, a grade two or three injury will sideline the 25-year-old for weeks – maybe even months.

That will, of course, depend upon the severity of Odegaard’s ankle injury, but the initial signs aren’t overly promising for Odegaard. Moreover, his setback has arrived at a very busy time in the calendar with Arsenal’s Champions League campaign soon getting underway.

Before the Gunners travel to Atalanta next Thursday, Arteta’s side take on Tottenham away from home in an early-season north London derby. The Arsenal captain will struggle to be involved on Sunday even if he’s sustained a grade one sprain.

After their trip to Bergamo, Arsenal face Manchester City at the Etihad on 22 September. So, even if Odegaard is ruled out for two weeks, he will miss three huge away games. The Gunners face Leicester at the Emirates the following Saturday before hosting Paris Saint-Germain in their second Champions League league phase encounter on 1 October.

Odegaard has been a key player for Arteta’s Arsenal ever since he signed permanently in 2021. If he is ruled out for a lengthy period of time, the Gunners boss will surely have to change tack. With Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira leaving in the summer, Arteta has fewer natural replacements and he’s unlikely to call upon teenager Ethan Nwaneri for Arsenal’s important upcoming fixtures.

Mikel Merino is out until October with a shoulder injury, while Declan Rice is suspended for Sunday’s derby.

Bukayo Saka could be used in a right central-midfield role with Raheem Sterling holding the width down the flank, or Arteta could shift to a double pivot and utilise Saka, Kai Havertz or Leandro Trossard as more of a number ten.

Great coaches and the very best teams adapt without little fuss. Odegaard’s absence will undoubtedly test Arteta’s coaching capacity to the highest degree.

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