Martin Odegaard injury: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provides latest on Gunners captain and Mikel Merino ahead of north London derby clash with Tottenham

The Gunners are preparing for one of their biggest matches of the season, but injury concerns could severely impact Arteta’s squad selection for the highly anticipated marquee clash against their bitter rivals. If Odegaard fails to win the race against time, Arteta faces a massive midfield crisis as Merino and Declan Rice are also unavailable.

Odegaard picked up the injury during an unfortunate collision with Austria's Julian Baumgartner, which resulted in a nasty ankle injury during the international break. The Arsenal captain was seen leaving Norway’s camp on crutches, raising concerns about his availability in the immediate future. Although Norwegian FA doctor Ola Sand explained that the injury could keep him sidelined for "three weeks", MRI scans in London revealed there was no fracture - which is a major relief to the club.

During his pre-match press conference, Arteta remained cautious about Odegaard's situation and said: "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."

Merino suffered a shoulder fracture during his first training session at Arsenal and has been ruled out for up to two months. Arteta explained that the midfielder is making progress but is still some way off returning to action.

"Better, it’s a slow process and it takes a while to heal," Arteta said. "We’re using this time to make sure he understands and is back to help the team straight away."

The absence of Merino leaves a gap in Arsenal's midfield, which has been further exacerbated by the suspension of Rice. The English midfielder is unavailable after receiving a controversial red card during Arsenal’s previous match against Brighton before the international break. This leaves Arteta with limited options in midfield, especially if Odegaard is not fit in time for the derby.