Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka (Photos by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Arsenal still hope that Martin Odegaard will be available to feature before the next international break.
November has always been the month they have had in mind for his return and I’m not aware of anything that has happened that has changed that.
Obviously they want him back as quickly as possible because he’s such an important player, but they will not take any risks with him.
His return will be carefully managed because the last thing Arteta will want is for Odegaard to come back too early and suffer any sort of setback.
You can see how much the side misses his creativity in those central areas, so it will be a huge boost to get him back.
Bukayo Saka injury latest – when could he return for Arsenal?
Bukayo Saka didn’t train on Monday ahead of the Shakhtar game, so he is obviously a doubt for Tuesday night and Liverpool on Sunday might also come too soon for him.
It’s too early to rule him out for that, but you can’t really take any risks when it comes to hamstring injuries.
One thing that is for sure is that Arsenal will do everything they can to have Saka available for the weekend.
They clearly missed both players against Bournemouth. To be without Odegaard is one thing, but to also have Saka out as well was a huge blow.
You could see the creative void that left in the side and they struggled to really cause Bournemouth many problems as a result, even when they had 11 men on the pitch.
It just shows how important it is that both players get back fit as quickly as possible.
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