Arsenal Injury Update: Odegaard, Saliba, Saka and more ahead of Athletic Club clash

Arsenal will be without several key names when they travel to Spain on Tuesday night to face Athletic Club at San Mamés in their Champions League opener.

The Gunners head into the tie on the back of a confident 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, but with added casualties to the injury list, after Martin Odegaard was forced off early in the match with another shoulder injury.

Mikel Arteta, speaking after Saturday’s victory at the Emirates, underlined why the club invested so heavily in squad depth this summer.

"The demands of the amount of games that the players have to play, they have to play 70 or 74 games throughout the season, it's never been done," the Spaniard said.

Here is every word the Spaniard said in his post-match press conference on Saturday about the current injured players:

Martin Odegaard

The captain aggravated his shoulder problem against Forest and was replaced by Ethan Nwaneri after just 18 minutes. Odegaard had looked to be recovering after featuring for Norway during the international break.

What Arteta has said:

"Yes, very similar [to the injury he suffered against Leeds United]. I don't know if it's exactly the same place, but it's a very similar injury. He wasn't comfortable continuing. He's played two games with Norway; unfortunately, he cannot carry on today. So we have to assess him with the doctors and see, but I'm sure he will try his best to be fit for Tuesday.

"No, I don't think that [Odegaard needs surgery]. I'm not an expert, but they weren't concerned at that level at all. The last time in a few days, he was able to manage the pain, especially as the injury wasn’t that bad. I don't know the extent of two days, but hopefully, hopefully."

Possible return: Could feature against Athletic Club (September 16).

William Saliba

The French defender came off early against Liverpool last month with an ankle issue and was not in the squad for the Forest game.

What Arteta has said:

"He trained yesterday (Friday) and he did the whole session and he was okay. I spoke to him afterwards, and he said I think I need a few more days. The turnaround has been too quick for the extent of the injury, so when a player says that, don't push it."

Possible return: Athletic Club (A), September 16.

Bukayo Saka

Saka has been nursing a muscle injury, which he suffered against Leeds last month. The 24-year-old winger missed three months of last season due to a problem in his right hamstring, and now he's felt something in his left hamstring.

What Arteta has said: "Bukayo’s out and he’s trying to get back as quickly as possible, but we need to respect that process. Let’s see, he’s evolving really well, with very specific work at the moment. The moment that we increase that load, let’s see how he reacts."

Expected return date: Unknown.

Christian Norgaard

Norgaard is yet to feature for Arsenal this season. The 31-year-old midfielder, who joined the Gunners from Brentford in the summer, made a handful of appearances during pre-season, scoring his first goal for the club in a 3-2 friendly defeat to Villarreal at the start of August.

What Arteta has said: No recent comments. Norgaard has been pictured back in full training, so he could now be fit to be included in the matchday squad.

Possible return: Athletic Club (A) on Tuesday, September 16.

Kai Havertz

The German forward underwent minor knee surgery last month and faces a longer lay-off.

What Arteta has said:

"He's looking really good, he's walking freely. He's starting to load the knee and started to do some bits. As I said before, I think we’re taking it from weeks to months. But knowing Kai, I cannot give you any timescale because I know what he's going to try to do.

"So I think he's in a good moment. It was a very tough decision for him to go and have that procedure done. But I think it was necessary and it was the right decision from the medical team to persuade him to do that."

Expected return: November.

Gabriel Jesus

The Brazilian striker is recovering from major ACL surgery and has recently stepped up his rehab, though a return is still some way off.

What Arteta has said:

"He had major surgery that was going to take him many, many months. So, after discussing that with the medical staff and understanding the schedule that we had and when we thought that he could be available, that it would be between December and January, we decided to make that call, like we've done in the past with other players. Hopefully, we did it wrong and he comes back earlier. But at the moment, the provision was very clear."

Expected return: December or January.

The Bottom Line

With big names like Odegaard, Saka, Havertz and Jesus battling fitness issues, Arsenal’s squad depth will be needed as they embark on another European campaign. The hope is that several of these players return soon, but in the mean time, the likes of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke have more opportunities to impress and keep their places in the Arsenal line-up.