Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was left on the bench for the 5-0 win over Sheffield United at the weekend.
After some recent poor performances, there was an assumption that the 24-year-old had been dropped by manager Mikel Arteta but he revealed after the match that the midfielder has been carrying a knock:
“Martin has been as well carrying a little thing that wasn’t very comfortable in the games. So we have players with enormous quality and we have to choose and we believe that it was the right day to do so.”
Whether Odegaard will be back in the starting lineup when the Gunners take on West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, we shall have to wait and see.
Gabriel Jesus is expected to be out for a number of weeks with a hamstring injury he sustained in the 2-1 victory against Sevilla in the Champions League last week.
Arteta has refused to give an exact timeframe for the Brazilian international to return as the striker is known to be a quick healer. However, there is little to no chance of him making his comeback before the next international break, meaning he is likely to miss the matches versus West Ham, Newcastle, the return fixture against Sevilla and Burnley.
Updates on the fitness of two other Arsenal players
Thomas Partey is pretty much in the same boat as Jesus. The Ghanaian international is set to be out for at least a few weeks, having sustained another muscular injury.
Arteta revealed on Friday that the midfielder had picked up the problem with the “last kick of the ball” during a training drill ahead of the Sevilla game.
Jurrien Timber is the only other first-team player currently on the sidelines. The Dutchman has an ACL injury and won’t be back in action until the New Year.
