Arsenal captain Martin Odegard was forced to leave the pitch during a match against Nottingham Forest due to what appears to be a recurrence of his shoulder injury. The 26-year-old Norwegian midfielder appeared to hurt his shoulder after a careless tackle from Morgan Gibbs White’s Julian Timber.
Odegard had his first start at Arsenal since August 13, when Arsenal first injured his shoulder in the first half of his home victory over Leeds 5-0. The skipper managed just 20 minutes in the following week’s match against Liverpool, but Arsenal’s title Hope was a hit, finishing in a 1-0 loss.
This was followed by Odegard playing the entire match against Moldova after playing 45 minutes in a friendly 1-0 victory in Norway’s Finland. The midfielders were shining as Norway hit Moldova 11-1, with Odegard scoring one goal and supporting the other two.
Despite concerns about the injury, Mikel Arteta did not hesitate to start Odegard against Forest in an early kickoff on Saturday. However, the former Real Madrid genius lasted only 18 minutes.
In a ball challenge that included wood and Gibbs White, Odegard also tried to win, the Arsenal captain landed awkwardly on his right shoulder, and quickly cried out in pain.
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After receiving treatment, Odegaard continued to play for another 10 minutes before being replaced. Ethan Nwaneri was brought in to replace him.
And soon, Martin Zubimendi broke the deadlock with a stunning first volley from the edge of the box.
Arsenal’s opponent was injured when Murillo was kicked out before halftime. The centre-back limped as he tried to play in pain following his challenge with Mikel Merino.
Nicolo Savona, brought from Juventus last month for £13.5 million, made her debut with a complete remodel for visitors.
He moved to the right back, run by Neko Williams. The Welsman moved to the left back and tried to deal with the Electric Noni Madueke, which caused all sorts of problems at lunchtime on Saturday.
The 24-year-old won Murillo’s spot at centre-back alongside Nikola Milenkovic as Ange Postecoglou tried to save something from his first game.
