Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is not expected to return from a knee injury until after the November international break. The midfielder suffered a medial collateral ligament injury in the Gunners' win over West Ham on 4 October and had to be replaced during the first half.

Arsenal released a statement the day after, confirming Odegaard would miss the current international window, but did not set a timeline for his recovery. However, the 26-year-old is set to remain unavailable until after the next set of international fixtures in the middle of November.

The news means Odegaard will miss Premier League games against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sunderland, as well as Champions League matches against Atletico Madrid and Slavia Prague.

The news will come as a blow to manager Mikel Arteta given Odegaard's importance to his team. The start of Odegaard's season has been plagued by injury problems, with the midfielder being forced off in the first half of three consecutive Premier League matches.

Arsenal face north London rivals Tottenham immediately after next month's international break, and it remains to be seen whether Odegaard can recover in time for the derby on 23 November.

Norway took a significant step towards qualification for the 2026 World Cup on Saturday, beating Israel 5-0. Should they qualify for next summer's competition, it will be their first international tournament since 2000.