Martin Odegaard forced off with injury after rough tackle from Arsenal teammate
Martin Odegaard has been forced off in the early minutes of Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at The Emirates.
Odegaard was the collateral damage of a hefty slide tackle from his teammate Jurrien Timber, eight minutes into the match.
Mikel Arteta will hope that the injury isn’t as bad as feared, with Ethan Nwaneri replacing the Arsenal captain.
Arsenal fans were elated to see new signing Eberechi Eze make the starting 11 for the first time, but Odegaard’s injury will sour the optimistic mood.
The Gunners managed to overcome the disappointment of Odegaard’s injury with two goals from Martin Zubimendi and a goal from Viktor Gyokeres, to secure a 3-0 victory for Arteta’s side.
Martin Odegaard injures shoulder again
The shoulder that Odegaard appeared to fall heavily upon appears to be the shoulder that forced Arsenal’s captain off against Leeds last month.
Odegaard returned to the bench against Liverpool two weeks ago but didn’t feature, playing 135 minutes on international duty with Norway.
Arteta has renewed squad depth after Arsenal’s good summer transfer business, with Declan Rice and Nwaneri offering the Spaniard strong options from the bench.
Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and Odegaard were given the start by Arteta against Forest, with an eye on Arsenal’s Champions League campaign starting against Athletic Bilbao in midweek.
Mikel Arteta’s options offer a comfort amid Martin Odegaard injury
Arteta will have the comfort of knowing Odegaard’s injury won’t leave him scrambling for options like past seasons.
Nwaneri, Rice and Eze can all offer Arteta an option at the number 10 position, while Merino has also been utilised as a second striker at times.
| Martin Odegaard |
| Martin Zubimendi |
| Declan Rice |
| Ethan Nwaneri |
| Eberechi Eze |
| Mikel Merino |
Arteta will be concerned that Odegaard’s shoulder injury looks to be a recurrence of the injury picked up against Leeds, but the news that Bukayo Saka is returning to full fitness will soften the blow.
As Arsenal kick off their Champions League campaign, Arteta will hope that their captain isn’t due to be sidelined for too long, with the fixtures due to come thick and fast in coming weeks.