Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard out for a while with ankle injury

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will be out for “a while” after suffering a serious ankle injury playing for Norway last week, manager Mikel Arteta said on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old limped off during his country’s Nations League defeat by Austria in Oslo on September 9 and returned to London on crutches.

Odegaard missed Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, and Arteta provided an update ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League opener against Atalanta in Bergamo on Thursday.

“The X-rays showed that he has some damage, especially to one of the ankle ligaments,” the Spaniard said.

“It’s so important that we’re going to lose it for a while.”

Arteta, whose side are second in the league, two points behind Manchester City, said he hoped it would not take months “but let’s see”.

Odegaard has become a regular for Arsenal, missing only a handful of games over the past three seasons, and a long absence would be a huge blow.

“He is our captain, he is one of the biggest and best players in our team,” Arteta added.

“Our identity is closely linked to how he plays and behaves. It is a big test for the team to see how much we can show a different face.”

Norway coach Stale Solbakken told VG newspaper he had been fully updated on the injury and was “preparing for life without Martin”.

“We have to take it week by week, day by day. Some types of damage happen faster, some happen slower,” he said.