Medical expert drops verdict, timeline on latest Odegaard injury as Arsenal, Arteta fret again

Arsenal have been left fretting again over the fitness of influential skipper Martin Odegaard after he suffered a blow to the knee in Saturday’s win over West Ham, with a medical expert giving an early verdict on what the player and club could be facing.

The Norway playmaker has struggled for a consistent run of games so far this season, having been forced off in three comeback outings so far this term.

Odegaard picked up a shoulder injury earlier in the campaign that saw him miss a few games before it flared up once again.

Arsenal were able to cope well due to their squad depth, thanks in part to a transfer squad of over £250million this summer, but the return of the captain against Olympiacos in the Champions League in midweek was a massive boost – a game he was outstanding in.

However, during the Gunners’ win over West Ham, disaster struck again as Odegaard picked up a knee injury that saw him substituted early on in the match.

And, while Arteta wasn’t too positive about the situation, an injury expert has since suggested that things may not be as bad as first appeared.

Speaking to the press after the game, Arteta said: “I think he had a clash knee-to-knee, and immediately he was uncomfortable.

“I just spoke to him, he’s not positive about it. He’s got a brace on, we’ll have to wait and see from the doctors. But we haven’t been very lucky with that either.”

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Arsenal offered hope over latest Odegaard injury

However, that initial concern could be eased, as Physio Scout, who have more than 50,000 followers on X, revealed that the actual issue could be relatively minor.

Taking to social media, they wrote: “A blow to the outer quad at contact brings concern for a painful quad contusion/bone bruise injury. These can be extremely painful at first, but can settle quite fast as the week progresses.

“However, the other option is an injury to the MCL upon valgus stress at contact. Less likely here, but still an option.”

A quad issue or bone bruise could see Odegaard return over the next week, while anything regarding his MCL in his knee may be around the two-week mark, but that depends on severity.

While he was spotted wearing a knee brace, it doesn’t hint at one potential problem over the other, as Arsenal now head into the latest international break.

Physio Scout continued: “Further scans will be required to confirm the exact nature and extent of the injury and to rule out any bone or ligament damage.”

That news is potentially positive for Arsenal, although it must be tempered by the fact that Physio Scout are only going off the footage they have seen and do not have access to the player himself.

To that end, Arsenal now face an anxious wait to find out the extent of Odegaard’s latest problem.

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