When will Martin Odegaard return from injury? Arsenal captain misses Man City test with ankle 'damage'

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Martin Odegaard is set for a spell sidelined after being ruled out of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Manchester City this weekend.

After sustaining an ankle injury on international duty with Norway, the fitness of the Gunners captain has been a source of deep concern among fans.

Odegaard limped out of his country’s 2-1 win over Austria last week with an injury that his coach Ola Solbakken admitted looked bad.

Norway’s team doctor, Ola Sand, claimed the 25-year-old would be sidelined for several weeks, but Mikel Arteta initially refused to shed light on his talisman’s recovery.

The Arsenal boss batted away several attempts to get conclusive updates on his skipper, who missed the north London derby victory over Tottenham on Sunday.

However, Arteta eventually confirmed ahead of the club’s goalless draw against Atalanta that the injury was ‘significant’.

When will Odegaard return?

Odegaard could be in the treatment room for eight weeks which would keep him absent until after the November international break.

The playmaker’s potential comeback with this timeline would be at home against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, November 23.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Atalanta game, he said: “After recent scans, the scans showed that he's got some damage, especially, on one of the ligaments in the ankle.

“It's something quite significant, so we're going to lose him for a while. He's our captain. He's been one of the biggest and best players in our team. Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves.

“It's a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face.”

When asked how long Arsenal would be without their captain, Arteta said: “Hopefully not months, but we’ll see.”

The initial timeline presented by Norway’s medical team indicated Odegaard may not return until after the October international break.

However, Arteta’s comments reflect that Odegaard's injury has turned out to be worse than both his club and his country feared.

Having already sat out the win over Spurs, the £30million man stands to miss another seven Premier League games.

This includes the visit to Manchester City on Sunday, as well as blockbuster meetings with Liverpool and London rivals Chelsea.

The former Real Madrid starlet needed a strategically placed ball to obscure his injured ankle for Tuesday's official team photo shoot.

Odegaard is a permanent starting fixture on the right side of a midfield three in their favoured 4-3-3 formation when fit.

Leandro Trossard deputised in that role against Spurs and may do so again against City, with Ethan Nwaneri a potential wildcard option.