Arsenal are back in Premier League action this weekend as they face Manchester City in a huge game at Etihad Stadium. In the last seven days, the Gunners began their Champions League campaign with a 0-0 draw against Atalanta following on from a North London Derby win over Tottenham.
Though the season is only five weeks old, Mikel Arteta has already had to contend with a number of cruel injury blows. New signing Mikel Merino picked up a significant shoulder issue in his first training session with club captain Martin Odegaard suffering an ankle injury on international duty with Norway.
"Yesterday he had a collision and he has a shoulder injury," Arteta said back in August. "It looks like he’s going to be out for a few weeks. "He was really excited and everything was looking really good. He landed on the floor and Gabi landed on top of him and it looks like he has a small fracture, probably."
On Odegaard, after he missed the Spurs victory, the Arsenal boss then ruled him out of the Atalanta game with his verdict suggesting he will miss the next few weeks at the very least. "After recent scans the scans showed that he’s got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle," he revealed earlier this week
"I don’t want to do that [give a return timeline] because I’m not a doctor. But it’s something quite significant so we’re going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months, but let’s see." With the 25-year-old definitely out of the Man City game, Pep Guardiola looks to have lost his equivalent with Kevin De Bruyne subbed off at half time in the Champions League clash against Inter.
Merino on the other hand, is much closer to featuring with Arteta having already revealed his plan to keep him close to the squad alongside his recovery. That admission has been proven recently with the Spain international enjoying time with his teammates before the squad photo and also being captured in public at David Raya's birthday without his arm sling on both occasions.
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However, it must be said that a return as soon as this weekend is very unlikely. November has been suggested as a potential return date but that is the worst-case scenario with a mid-October training comeback seen as far more plausible.
With that being said, as it was an impact injury rather than a muscular one, Arteta will have to be careful integrating him back into the group especially with Arsenal training sessions often very intense.
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