Arsenal news: Martin Odegaard injury timeline as Mikel Arteta disagreement emerges

Arsenal sit atop the Premier League with the international break in full swing but were hit by an injury setback 30 minutes into their 2-0 victory against West Ham

Arsenal are the current Premier League leaders but are set to be without a key player for some time. The Gunners saw captain Martin Odegaard substituted with a knee injury in their win against West Ham.

Mikel Arteta’s side put the Hammers to the sword 2-0 last week at Emirates to give them a one-point advantage over fellow title hopefuls Liverpool atop the league table. But having struggled most of the season with injury, skipper Odegaard went down after just 30 minutes.

The Norwegian playmaker had to be substituted after sustaining an apparent knee injury. A former medical professional who worked for Norway’s national side has now revealed just when Odegaard could be back in action.

Mirror Football brings you the latest news from north London, including a Gunners icon taking issue with some of Arteta’s decisions and a blueprint the club may use ahead of their rumoured stadium renovation.

Doctor gives Martin Odegaard update

Odegaard had been sidelined already this season when he picked up a shoulder injury during Arsenal’s victory against Leeds United in August. But having been substituted early in a few other matches, an MCL issue finally got the better of him against West Ham.

READ MORE: Arsenal star told he must follow Gary Neville example to take next step in careerREAD MORE: Ex-Arsenal star reveals all on difficult Mikel Arteta talks before transfer

Because of this setback, he is not part of Norway’s squad this international break and Lars Engebretsen, who used to work within that national team set-up, predicts that he could be out for two months or more.

Engebretsen told Dagbladet: “I don’t have information about exactly what the MRI showed but based on the injury video, it could be a lateral ligament injury. If it is such an injury, Odegaard risks being out for six to eight weeks.

“But it depends on the size. It could also be a more extensive injury, cruciate ligaments maybe. In that case, the period on the sidelines could be longer.”

Ian Wright disagrees Mikel Arteta calls

Although his Gunners are currently leading the top-flight, head coach Arteta has come under fire this season for some of his team selections. Ex-Arsenal striker Ian Wright hopes that some early decisions don’t end up costing his former side in the long run as the Gunners legend he has already disagreed with some of the head coach’s decisions.

Wright told Stick to Football: “You know something? What last week done was reaffirmed to people that, listen, we’re in there with a great chance, with a great squad.

“I think we’ve got the best squad in the league at the moment. I don’t care what anyone says, and now it’s up to the manager, making sure that he puts the right piece on the pitch at the right time.

“Simply because I’ve seen a couple of results where I think he should have started with different people and get the game done. But then he does his thing in respect of bringing people on as finishers.”

Stadium provides perfect example for the Emirates

News broke this week that Arsenal could be looking to expand the Emirates Stadium from its 60,700 seats to 70,000. The reported plan could cost the club upwards of £500million and would involve a complete renovation of the ground’s interior.

While the club are supposedly in no rush to force through such plans one European ground has already undertaken a similar endeavour. Benfica’s Estadio da Luz was designed by the same architects who built Arsenal’s stadium and it has just undergone some renovations.

Ahead of the 2025/26 season, the 65,000-seater stadium was redesigned so it can now house 68,100 fans. The end goal is 70,000 and it has an almost identical outer bowl to the Emirates.

The increase in capacity was achieved by adding two new front rows of seats to the stadium’s lower tier and fans can expect the Gunners to attempt something similar. This ground could give fans a glimpse into Arsenal’s future.

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