Mikel Arteta has confirmed Martin Odegaard has injured the same shoulder he picked up before the international break and detailed his chances of facing Athletic Bilbao in the club’s opening Champions League outing.
The Gunners eased to a comfortable 3-0 win over Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest at The Emirates on Saturday afternoon, with Martin Zubimendi scoring twice and Viktor Gyokeres also netting his third goal for the north London side.
Arsenal were already without Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, and with Odegaard being forced off in the first-half following a collision involving Morgan Gibbs-White and teammate Jurrien Timber, things were looking bleak for Arteta on the injury front.
Odegaard landed heavily on his shoulder with Ethan Nwaneri coming on to replace the Norway international, who first suffered the injury in the rout of Leeds United in mid-August.
The Arsenal skipper then started the clash with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool on the bench before coming on in the second half and was in action for his country during the international break.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta revealed the issue was with the same shoulder. However, he is hopeful it is not a serious issue and will not require an operation.
“It is a very similar injury,” Arteta said.
“He wasn’t comfortable to continue. He played two games for Norway and he wasn’t able to carry on today.
“So we have to assess him with the doctors but I am sure he will try his best to be fit for Tuesday.
Asked if he will need surgery, Arteta said: “No I don’t think so. I’m not the expert but they [the medical staff] were not concerned at that level at all.
“The last time within a few days he was able to manage the pain. But I don’t know the extent of today.”
Arsenal begin their Champions League campaign against Bilbao on Tuesday evening before they host Manchester City at The Emirates next Sunday.
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