"Setback": Arsenal without £30m star vs Bournemouth after knee injury, absent from training

Arsenal returned to winning ways on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory over Sporting CP in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.

The Gunners had a tricky away outing against the Portuguese champions but managed to prevail with a hard-fought win.

Kai Havertz replaced Martin Odegaard in the second half and went on to score a 91st-minute winner.

There were no injuries reported at the time, but Norway manager Stale Solbakken has now revealed a fresh setback for Odegaard.

Speaking in a press conference today, he confirmed that the Gunners captain sustained a minor injury but could return in the near future.

Solbakken said: “He [Ødegaard] got a little one [injury] where he shouldn’t have, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.

“He’ll be on the field in the near future. It was a small setback, and we don’t need any more of them.”

Odegaard out with another knee injury

The £30 million signing has had a tough campaign with multiple injury setbacks. He had a couple of freak shoulder injuries at the start of the season.

This was followed by a more several knee injury against West Ham United, which kept the 27-year-old out of action for a significant period of time.

On his return, Odegaard suffered a knock to his knee at Brentford, which contributed to his extended absence before the last international break.

The playmaker has started the last two games against Southampton and Sporting CP, but he was visibly struggling in the second half in Lisbon.

Odegaard asked for medical assistance, pointing to his knee, and it was unsurprising that he was soon replaced by Havertz in the 70th minute.

The club captain was absent during today’s open training session. Based on Solbakken’s comments, he looks set to miss the Premier League game against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Havertz will most likely start from the number 10 position. Eberechi Eze has just returned from a calf injury. He could come off the bench to replace the German this weekend.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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