Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest was just 18 minutes old when Mikel Arteta was forced to withdraw captain Martin Ødegaard because of injury.
The Norwegian came into the game having experienced previous issues with a shoulder, and it didn’t take long for him to awkwardly land on it following a challenge from Morgan Gibbs-White.
Ødegaard received extensive treatment from Arsenal’s physio and attempted to play on as the hosts sought the opening goal of Saturday’s early kickoff. But it wasn’t to be for Ødegaard, whose performance levels in midfield have been questioned in recent weeks and months, and he was replaced by teenage prodigy Ethan Nwaneri.
“He was uncomfortable to continue, that’s a shame because he was playing with the [Norwegian] national team [and] he was feeling good. And suddenly, something happened again. He’s certainly going to be doing everything from now [until Tuesday] I can guarantee you that, but I don’t know,” Arteta said after the game in relation to the injury and prospect around the club captain returning for their opening Champions League fixture against Athletic Club.
