Martin Ødegaard facing lengthy break after sustaining ligament damage

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Martin Ødegaard has damaged ligaments in his ankle and will be sidelined “for a while” after the Arsenal captain was injured on international duty.

Ødegaard missed Sunday’s victory over Tottenham in the north London derby having limped off during Norway’s win over Austria last week, with Arteta hopeful that scans would mean he would be back in action sooner rather than later. However, the Arsenal manager revealed before the opening match of their Champions League campaign against Atalanta that the 25-year-old has sustained a significant injury.

“After everything was scanned, the scan showed he has got some damage, especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle,” said Arteta. “We are going to miss him. I don’t want to [give a timeline] because I am not a doctor but yes, it is something quite significant so we are going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months, but let’s see.”

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Ødegaard did not travel with the rest of Arsenal’s squad to Italy for the meeting with last season’s Europa League winners on Thursday, but there was better news with summer signing Riccardo Calafiori passed fit to play after he returned early from international duty with an injury.

Bukayo Saka is also available despite being taken off early against Spurs. But Arteta admitted that Arsenal must learn to cope without Ødegaard, who has only missed five Premier League matches in the last three seasons but will not be available for Sunday’s showdown with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

“We have to show that,” he said. “He is our captain, he is one of our biggest players without a doubt. He has been one of the most consistent players in the last two or three seasons. Our identity is very related to his way of playing and his way of behaving. We are going to have to deal with that. That is a great test for the team as well, of how capable we are to show maybe a different face and the fact we have other players and other options that can still be very effective.”

Arsenal lost three of their five away matches in last season’s Champions League as they reached the knockout stages for the first time since 2017 before losing to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. The new format has handed them a tough initial assignment against Gian Piero Gasperini’s side but Arteta is confident his team will take great strength from their unbeaten away run in the Premier League, which now stretches back to last year.

“Hopefully we have learned and we can show that composure, but also that determination and that belief,” he said. “Tomorrow we are going to be here and we know what we’re going to be facing and it’s going to be tough. Hopefully the team is ready and prepared.”

Arteta added: “If we want to be at the level that we want to be, we have to be really good on the road and at home. There is not a choice. So we have to continue to be consistent, get a result, especially with great performances that are going to get us results. In Europe, it is extremely tough like it is in the Premier League to win. Hopefully we can be more effective than we were last season because especially in this competition small margins define results and we have to be really good.”