Mikel Arteta is sweating with the worries of two Arsenal injuries after losing Martin Odegard and Bukayo Saka in a 5-0 victory at Leeds United this weekend.
Arsenal was potentially boosted Martin Odegard’s fitness after being called out by the Norwegian team for their next international break.
The gunner was terrified when Martin Odegard fell on a shoulder problem following the challenge and he couldn’t shrug it, before terrifying when he defeated Leeds United 5-0 over the weekend.
Unwilling to take risks to the star playmaker, Mikel Arteta chose to withdraw Odegard from action in the 38th minute, as Ethan Nwaneri took his place.
After the game, Arteta said he wasn’t sure about the extent of the injury and first said he needed more testing. The Spaniards will be eager to get Odegard back as soon as possible as they prepare for a key title clash in Liverpool on Sunday.
“So when Martin landed, he felt something on his shoulder,” he said. “We don’t know (how bad it is). We have to scan him tomorrow and get a little better understanding.”
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The Norwegian team dropped hints on his current condition, after he announced in September that he was part of a batch of upcoming equipment batches.
Norway will play friendly with Scandinavian neighbour Finland on September 4th, and will host Moldova in World Cup Qualifiers on September 9th.
Odegard is the Norwegian captain and talisman, so his choice does not guarantee he has overcome his concerns about injury, but they are eager to involve him.
It is concern about the second injury from the Leeds game after Bukayo Saka was dropped out during the match. He was feared to suffer another hamstring blow and had already undergone surgery earlier this year for similar issues – and he is currently facing several weeks on the sidelines.
“It certainly looks important to Bukayo for getting out,” he said after the match. He felt something in his hamstring while he carried the ball and wrestled with the defender. Let’s take a look.
“I think it’s one more (hamstring). That’s not the same as the previous injuries. But yeah, we’ve already lost Kai, Martin and Bukayo in two weeks.
Arsenal has the option to cover Odegard and Saka if they don’t recover from their respective injuries anytime soon. Noni Maduke’s new signature can represent Saka on the right wing, but the latest recruit Eberechi Eze can fill out Odegaard in position 10.
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