Martin Odegaard will reportedly miss seven Arsenal games owing to a knee injury he sustained prior to October's international break. BBC Sport claims the playmaker will not feature for Mikel Arteta's team until after November's international break, in a blow for the Gunners.
That being said, Arsenal will be thankful the injury is not a longer-term one as they look to go one better than last season and win the Premier League title. They moved ahead of Liverpool following the win over West Ham United, with the Reds beaten by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Declan Rice returned to action for England in their 3-0 win over Wales during this international break, playing 69 minutes for Thomas Tuchel's side. That's a welcome boost ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash with Fulham following the break. With that in mind, football.london has taken a look at the latest injury news and return dates;
Martin Odegaard
According to the latest BBC Sport reports, Odegaard will return to action midway through November. The captain suffered the injury during Arsenal's 2-0 win over the Hammers at the start of the month.
What Arsenal said: "Martin Odegaard has been withdrawn from the Norway national team for their upcoming matches against Israel and New Zealand after sustaining a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee during the first half in Saturday’s win over West Ham United.
"Martin will continue to be assessed and treated by our medical team at Sobha Realty Training Centre during the international window, with the aim of a return to action as soon as possible."
Expected return date: November 23 vs Tottenham (H)
Piero Hincapie
The defender has missed Arsenal's last four matchday squads with a groin injury, but looks set to return to action after October's international break.
What Arteta has said: "He will be available after the international break. So we've been trying to do everything as fast as possible but this came too fast. Now we have the international break and hopefully after that, he will have a couple of sessions with the team and be ready to go."
Expected return date: October 18 vs Fulham (A)
Noni Madueke
The Arsenal winger made a bright start to the campaign but is 'still out' of action with a knee injury.
What Arteta has said (September 23): "Yes, it looks like he's going to be out for a few weeks... We don't know yet, we're probably going to have to scan him next week again. He felt something at the beginning of the match, he tried to carry on, and at half-time, he was too sore, so let's see.
"We hope [it's weeks rather than months]. As I said, we need to scan him again to see the real extent of the injury, but it doesn't look too bad."
Expected return date: November 2025.
Kai Havertz
The Germany international is a long-term absentee and underwent surgery back in August, but could return next month.
What Arteta has said: "With Kai, we know it will be months with him. I don't know if it can be weeks, you never know because this is Kai and he's a different specimen. We really miss him. Hopefully, he will be back, and back for the long term as well, so it is very important to look after that knee. So far, he's progressing pretty well."
Expected return date: November 2025.
Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus remains suffered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the start of the year and isn't expected to return until the New Year.
What Arteta has said (September 12): "He had major surgery that was going to take him many, many months. So, after discussing that with the medical staff and understanding the schedule we had and when we thought that he could be available, that it would be between December and January, we decided to make that call, like we've done in the past with other players. Hopefully, we did it wrong and he comes back earlier.
"But, at the moment, the provision was very clear."
Expected return date: January 2026.
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