• Scans reveal ligament damage to the midfielder’s ankle
• Arsenal manager: ‘hopefully not months’ until return

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Martin Ødegaard has damaged ligaments in his ankle and will be sidelined “for a while” after the Arsenal captain was injured on international duty.

Ødegaard missed Sunday’s victory over Tottenham in the north London derby having limped off during Norway’s win over Austria last week, with Arteta hopeful that scans would mean he would be back in action sooner rather than later. However, the Arsenal manager revealed before the opening match of their Champions League campaign against Atalanta that the 25-year-old has sustained a significant injury.