Arsenal have been handed a serious fitness concern after captain Martin Odegaard was forced off injured against Nottingham Forest during their Premier League showdown on Saturday lunchtime.
The Norwegian appeared to suffer an injury to his ankle - and his shoulder - during the opening 15 minutes against Ange Postecoglou's side. It appeared the midfielder was caught by teammate Jurrien Timber as the Gunners won a corner early during the early stages.
After receiving treatment on the pitch, he elected to carry on but shortly afterwards he was forced off. Odegaard was then replaced by Ethan Nwaneri by Mikel Arteta.
That blow for Odegaard comes after an injury-hit start to the season for the Norwegian. Prior to the international break, Odegaard picked up an injury to his right shoulder which left many concerned that he could miss the game against Forest this afternoon.
However, after featuring for his country on international duty, Odegaard insisted that he was fit and ready to play upon the Premier League's return. "It hurt a lot, but now I got it under control and I feel ready," he explained.
"It was never an issue [between Norway and Arsenal]. I talk a lot with [Norway manager] Stale Solbakken.
"The club obviously wanted me for Liverpool, and my only job was to get ready." Odegaard only made the bench for the clash at Anfield and now, potentially, faces an extended spell in the treatment room after today's incident.
As mentioned, Nwaneri came on to replace Odegaard in favour of Declan Rice, who is also on their subs bench. Arteta said pre-match that the former West Ham captain was among the substitutes as part of a rotation policy with the Champions League returning midweek.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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