NOT SO GOOD: Arteta dealt another Arsenal injury blow as "big talent" suffers hip problem

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been another "blow" as one member of his squad deals with a hip problem, coming amid the Gunners' mounting list of injuries.

Arsenal players out injured and unavailable for selection

The north Londoners are forced to contend without a few important players in the run-up to October and beyond. Their biggest loss - club captain and chief creator Martin Odegaard - isn't expected to be back in action for a while after he was forced with ankle ligament damage in Norway's 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Austria earlier this month.

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Odegaard is set to be sidelined for weeks, according to Arteta and reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, who elaborates by sharing the club's concern for their star player.

“They are, obviously (concerned)," said Romano. "He’s a crucial player. He’s the captain. He’s a fantastic player. So, obviously, they know this injury is a problem for them.

"But at the same time, they hope it’s not super long. So, in this moment, in terms of medical staff, they are doing their best to have Martin back as soon as possible. For sure, we will have to be patient. It’s not something imminent. It will take weeks before we see Odegaard back to action.

martin-odegaard-arsenal-premier-league

“What they always mention to me is that they absolutely want Martin to return when he’s 100% fit. They can’t accept a new injury for Martin Odegaard later in the season, when they’re going to compete, they hope, for all the main titles.

“So Arsenal absolutely want Martin to take his time to return when he’s 100% fit. And this is going to be the mission of the staff, for sure.”

Meanwhile, summer signing Mikel Merino won't return for weeks either, having fractured his shoulder during his first ever training session at London Colney - in what was a real stroke of bad luck following a collision with Gabriel Magalhaes

Arsenal's next five Premier League games

Date

Leicester City (home)

September 28

Southampton (home)

October 5

Bournemouth (away)

October 19

Liverpool (home)

October 27

Newcastle United (away)

November 2

Left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is out with a calf injury too - which forced the Ukranian to sit out of their trio of blockbuster clashes against Tottenham, Atalanta and Man City - and it appears they may have another long-term absentee.

Tommy Setford out injured in another "blow" for Arsenal

As per Standard Sport, young summer signing from Ajax - goalkeeper Tommy Setford - is also sidelined. Setford has suffered a hip injury at Arsenal, which was described as a "blow" for Arteta, and it is unclear just how long the 18-year-old will be out for. Jurrien Timber's former teammate at Ajax, who has earned caps for England at academy level, possesses a growing reputation and has been described as a "big talent".

“We welcome Tommy to Arsenal. He is a young goalkeeper with big potential and we look forward to supporting his development in the coming years," said academy manager Per Mertesacker after his arrival from the Netherlands.

"The first step on Tommy’s development pathway with us will be to integrate into our under-21s academy group and train regularly with our first team goalkeeping group."