Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was forced off the pitch after sustaining what appeared to be an ankle injury during Norway’s match against Austria.
The Gunners’ midfielder, who started the game at Ullevaal Stadium, was substituted in the 67th minute following a challenge from Christoph Baumgartner.
Odegaard’s foot became stuck in the turf during the tackle, leading to a painful-looking injury.
After receiving immediate medical attention on the pitch, with his head in his hands, he required assistance from two physios to leave the field.
He then headed straight down the tunnel for further treatment, with Norway teammate Erling Haaland offering words of consolation.
Norway coach Solbakken: “Martin Ødegaard’s injury looked bad in the dressing room as well”.
Norway doctor Ola Sand added: “He got a small ankle sprain.
“We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it”.
“If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow.
This injury scare comes at a critical time for Arsenal, who are already facing a selection dilemma ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.
Declan Rice will miss the North London derby against Tottenham after being controversially sent off during the recent draw with Brighton, ruling him out through suspension.
To add to their woes, new signing Mikel Merino is also unavailable.
The Spaniard, who joined from Real Sociedad this summer, suffered a freak shoulder injury during his first training session with the squad.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Merino is expected to be sidelined for several weeks.
“Yes, it’s very unfortunate,” he explained before the international break.
“Yesterday he had a collision and he’s got a shoulder injury and it looks like he’s going to be out for a few weeks. First session with us.
“It is [bad luck], he was really excited, we were all really excited, everything was looking very good, he landed on the floor, Gabi went on top of him and it looks like he has a small fracture probably.
“We have to see [how long he’s out], he was in so much pain, we have to do some more tests on that and then we’ll have more conclusive answers.”
Odegaard was withdrawn from the match while the score was still level, with Erling Haaland later putting Norway ahead with just 10 minutes remaining.
The focus will quickly shift back to Arsenal and how they will manage without Odegaard’s midfield contributions.
If Odegaard is unable to play on Sunday, it will force Mikel Arteta to field a makeshift midfield, potentially including Jorginho, Thomas Partey, and the young Ethan Nwaneri.
Additionally, Riccardo Calafiori suffered an injury during the recent international break, leading to his early return from the Italy squad.
Calafiori started Italy’s victory over France last week but was substituted in the second half.
Initially, Azzurri coach Luciano Spalletti reassured that Calafiori would be available for the match against Israel on Tuesday.
However, Calafiori was eventually sent back to Arsenal for further tests.
This potential injury crisis comes ahead of a crucial week for Arteta’s side.
Following the derby against Tottenham, Arsenal will kick off their Champions League campaign at Atalanta, before facing title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad.
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