Arsenal expect Martin Ødegaard to miss another six weeks with the knee injury he sustained before the international break.
The Arsenal captain went down clutching his left knee after clashing with Crysencio Summerville in the first half of a 2-0 victory against West Ham that sent Mikel Arteta’s side top of the table. Ødegaard twice attempted to carry on after treatment before being replaced by Martín Zubimendi, and Arteta said the 26-year-old had left the ground with his knee in a brace.
Arsenal said last week that tests showed Ødegaard had sustained medial collateral ligament damage and the midfielder withdrew from the Norway squad for their 5-0 victory over Israel on Saturday in a World Cup qualifier and a friendly with New Zealand on Tuesday.
He is not thought to require surgery but it is understood he is not expected to return before the next international break, which starts on 10 November. That would rule him out of seven matches: Premier League games against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sunderland, Champions League games against Atlético Madrid and Slavia Prague and a Carabao Cup tie against Brighton.
Arsenal hope that Ødegaard, who has missed games in this campaign because of a shoulder injury and was out for almost two months last season with an ankle issue picked up on international duty, could return for the north London derby against Tottenham on 23 November.
Eberechi Eze has been deputising for Ødegaard in a creative midfield role in recent weeks, and the England Under-21 forward Ethan Nwaneri has also proved capable of filling in.
Ødegaard will join Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke on the sidelines. The summer signing Piero Hincapié, who has been restricted to one substitute appearance, is expected to return from a groin injury after this international break.
