Arsenal fans have been left frustrated at the end of the September international break with captain Martin Odegaard returning injured from Norway duty.
Odegaard has started all three of Arsenal's Premier League games so far this season with Mikel Arteta's team unbeaten before the break.
However, despite an overall positive fitness picture ahead of facing Tottenham on September 15, Odegaard's absence and Declan Rice's suspension, leaves a hole in Arteta's midfield.
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Martin Odegaard injury return date
Norway head coach Stale Solbakken and team doctor Ola Sand indicated Odegaard had suffered an ankle sprain as he limped off in the closing stages of their 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Austria.
Tests back in London confirmed no fracture, and Sand's prediction of a three-week minimum absence will now be followed, with Arteta keeping a close eye on his recovery period.
A week later, once Odegaard had returned to the club, Arteta gave a sobering update, saying that the player's injury was "quite significant" and that they will be without him "for a while." There was little in the way of guidance other than that, but Arteta's quote on its own was worrying.
Alongside Rice and Odegaard, summer signing Mikel Merino is also missing with a shoulder injury until November, after falling in his first Arsenal training session.
Martin Odegaard Arsenal games missed
If Odegaard misses just three weeks from the point of injury, which feels best-case scenario at this point, he would be out for between five and six games, spread across EPL and UEFA Champions League action.
Alongside the North London derby at Tottenham, Odegaard is certain to miss Arsenal's European opener at Atalanta in midweek, with the home Premier League game against Southampton his earliest realistic return date.
Below are the games Odegaard is expected to miss, with more potentially to be tacked on after should his recovery continue further along, which is highly likely given Arteta's latest comments.
| Date | Competition | Match | Missed? |
| Sep. 15 | Premier League | Tottenham (A) | Yes |
| Sep. 19 | Champions League | Atalanta (A) | Yes |
| Sep. 22 | Premier League | Man City (A) | |
| Sep. 25 | EFL Cup | Bolton (H) | |
| Sep. 28 | Premier League | Leicester City (H) | |
| Oct. 1 | Champions League | PSG (H) |
Martin Odegaard injury record
Odegaard's absence could be his longest injury lay off as an Arsenal player. He missed 19 days of action and five games last season with a hip problem and this could be lengthiest period on the sidelines since breaking a bone in his foot on loan at Heerenveen in 2017/18.
