Ahead of this Sunday’s North London Derby, there’s been a lot of talk in the media about the missing options in Mikel Arteta’s squad.

With Declan Rice suspended, and Mikel Merino still injured, Arteta will be without two key midfielders for the Gunners’ game this weekend. Micky van de Ven, who fans questioned his availability, is expected to return for Tottenham Hotspur.

So when Martin Odegaard suffered an ankle injury whilst on international duty with Norway, fans became even more concerned about the possibility of a thin midfield.

Despite doctors comments that Odegaard’s injury might take three weeks to heal, Mikel Arteta has made some interesting comments in pre-match coverage about Odegaard’s availability.

What did Arteta say?

Speaking to Sky Sports, Arsenal boss Arteta said: “We need some more tests. Let's see what happens in the next day or so.

“Let’s see the extent of the injury and how quickly we can get him back.

“Players with 48 hours are always available. Let’s see what happens.”

Mikel Arteta provides an injury update on Martin Odegaard ahead of the North London derby 👀 pic.twitter.com/hcL8nRBCiw

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 13, 2024

So Arteta has given Arsenal fans a glimmer of hope that Odegaard may be able to play this weekend, but nothing is certain until the lineups are released.