Arsenal captain Odegaard out for weeks with knee injury

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is expected to remain on the sidelines for “a few more weeks” as he recovers from his latest injury.

The Norwegian midfielder missed two weeks last month with a shoulder problem and is now the club's fourth player currently out with a knee injury after Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke.

The Gunners are heading towards the Premier League's return to the top of the table and face Fulham on Saturday.

“It will take weeks, there is no specific date for his return,” said manager Mikel Arteta.

“He is progressing well. It is very unfortunate what is happening to him.

“I think he will be back in a few weeks but we will have to see how he develops, how his knee feels. It is too early to have an answer.”

Arteta had some positive news as he confirmed striker Havertz could make a return sooner than expected.

The Germany international underwent knee surgery in August and is expected to miss months of action.

Arteta said: “There's still a lot to do in his rehabilitation. He's really pushing it, we know Kai and that's why we love him so much. But we have to wait and see.

“I think we're doing a really good job with him again. He wants to break every timeline, I'm sure of that. But we also have to protect him and make sure that when he comes back, he comes back for the long haul.”