Martin Odegaard injury return: Expected comeback date, number of games missed by Arsenal captain

Arsenal fans are feeling incredibly frustrated following the conclusion of the September international break, as their captain Martin Odegaard has returned from Norway duty with an injury.

Odegaard has started all three of Arsenal's Premier League games so far this season with Mikel Arteta's team unbeaten before the break.

However, despite an overall positive fitness picture ahead of facing Tottenham on September 15, Odegaard's absence and Declan Rice's suspension, leaves a hole in Arteta's midfield.

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Martin Odegaard injury return date

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken and team doctor Ola Sand indicated Odegaard had suffered an ankle sprain as he limped off in the closing stages of their 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Austria.

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Tests back in London confirmed no fracture, and Sand's prediction of a three-week minimum absence will now be followed, with Arteta keeping a close eye on his recovery period.

Alongside Rice and Odegaard, summer signing Mikel Merino is also missing with a shoulder injury until November, after falling in his first Arsenal training session.

Martin Odegaard Arsenal games missed

If Odegaard remains on track and misses three weeks from the point of injury, he will likely be out for between five and six games, spread across EPL and UEFA Champions League action.

Alongside the North London derby at Tottenham, Odegaard is certain to miss Arsenal's European opener at Atalanta in midweek, with the home game against either Paris Saint-Germain or Southampton his earliest realistic return date.

Below are the games Odegaard is expected to miss:

Premier League: Tottenham (A), September 15Champions League: Atalanta (A), September 19Premier League: Man City (A), September 22EFL Cup: Bolton Wanderers (H), September 25Premier League: Leicester City (H), September 28Champions League: PSG (H), October 1 - DoubtfulMartin Odegaard injury record

Odegaard's absence could be his longest injury lay off as an Arsenal player. He missed 19 days of action and five games last season with a hip problem and this could be lengthiest period on the sidelines since breaking a bone in his foot on loan at Heerenveen in 2017/18.