Arsenal hit by fresh injury blow as captain Martin Odegaard forced off against West Ham

Arsenal were dealt a huge blow on Saturday as Odegaard has suffered another injury. The Gunners' captain had to be taken off in the 29th minute in their Premier League encounter against West Ham at the Emirates Stadium, compounding Mikel Arteta's problems in the early phase of the season. 

It's the third time the 26-year-old was forced off the pitch due to an injury. Back in August, in a fixture against Leeds United, Odegaard fell awkwardly on his shoulder, which led him to miss training in the following days. He was named on the bench for the blockbuster clash against Liverpool at the end of August. Then, after the September international break, his shoulder problem worsened against Nottingham Forest, with Arsenal forced to take him off in the 17th minute. He missed three games: the Champions League opener against Athletic Club, the league encounter against Manchester City, and the EFL Cup fixture against minnows Port Vale. 

After his substitution against the Hammers on Saturday, the Norway international became the first player in Premier League history to be withdrawn in the first half of three consecutive league matches. Against Leeds and Forest, he was taken off after 38 and 18 minutes, respectively. He lasted just 29 minutes against West Ham.

The latest setback suffered looked like a new one for the former Real Madrid playmaker. Around the 20-minute mark, Odegaard seemed to be limping, but tried to shrug off the knock without getting medical attention. Just minutes later, though, he fell to the ground once more and this time, the medical team ran to the pitch to attend to Odegaard's issues. 

It remains to be seen how long the 26-year-old will spend on the treatment table, just when it seemed like he was getting back to his best, both fitness-wise and performance-wise. Arteta has fielded the Spanish double pivot of Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi in Odegaard's absence, with Eberechi Eze taking over the reins in the No.10 role.