Arteta refuses to rule out Odegaard as he says players are 'always available'

ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta is NOT ruling captain Martin Odegaard out of the North London Derby.

The Gunners face rivals Tottenham on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but may be without Odegaard, 25, who poses as a massive doubt.

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The playmaker suffered an ankle injury during Norway’s Nations League clash with Austria on Monday.

The ex-Real Madrid star limped off the pitch in tears following a rough challenge from Christoph Baumgartner.

The Norway international was later seen on crutches while boarding a flight back to London.

Arteta, however, revealed Arsenal doctors have yet to reach a final decision as to whether Odegaard will play against Spurs.

The Spanish tactician hinted there will be a late call and left all potential scenarios open.

Arteta said in his pre-match press conference: “We need some more tests. Let’s see what happens in the next day or so. This afternoon probably.

“Let’s see the extent of the injury and how quickly we can get him back. Martin wants to be here every day but we have to wait and see.
I leave that to the doctor.

“He’s willing and he wants to be present in every game. We need to make sure we know first how good he is or not. Players with 48 hours are always available. Let’s see what happens.”

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Arteta, who signed a new contract that ties him to the Emirates until 2027, is facing quite a midfield headache as Declan Rice is suspended and summer signing Mikel Merino is injured.

The Arsenal manager may also have to make a late call on Riccardo Calafiori.

Calafiori also picked up a knock during international duty with Italy after a freak clash with France ace Ousmane Dembele last week.

Arteta said: “He’s another one where we’ll have to wait another day.”