Austrian midfielder Christoph Baumgartner apologises to Martin Odegaard after injuring Arsenal star
|Austrian midfielder Christoph Baumgartner has apologised to Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard after injuring the Norway international star during their UEFA Nations League.
The RB Leipzig star tackled the Gunners skipper during the second-half of the game, leaving him hurt after his ankle got twisted.
The Arsenal star had to be helped off the pitch and has since returned to London in crutches.
While the North London club have yet to provide any official update on Odegaard and his injury, it is safe to say he will not feature against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Baumgartner has taken to social media platform Instagram to tender his sincere apologies to the Arsenal man, insisting it was never his intention to injure such a fantastic player and wishing him all the best and a speedy recovery.
Further MRI scans will be carried out on Odegaard, and the Norwegian national team doctor, Ola Sand, believes he could spend around three weeks or longer on the sidelines, depending on the extent of the injury.
“What we have so far obtained from the MRI examination in London is that there is probably no fracture in the ankle,” Sand told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang.
“Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks. Anything other than that is just a bonus. And then it can take longer.
“Both (manager) Stale (Solbakken) and I know that that collection hangs in the balance. It is not excluded. But we have to wait and see both what the MRI images show and how quickly he responds to treatment.
“Ankle injuries are very painful right away. With Martin, it was extremely painful. He became very worried.
“They are studying the MRI images now, and have sent them on. In the event of a fracture, we are talking about being out of action for six weeks plus.”
The Gunners will hope Odegaard returns sooner rather than later, and being without him for key games against Spurs and Manchester City will be a huge blow.