Arsenal’s injury list: When will Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko return to boost Mikel

Arsenal are currently without some key players due to injury, but at least one could soon return to action.

After a relatively quiet start to the season in the medical room, Arsenal have run into some injury problems in recent weeks.

First it was Thomas Partey who was sidelined, and then Mohamed Elneny followed suit – leaving Mikel Arteta short in terms of his options in the middle of the park.

And now Martin Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko have had issues, with both players having to sit out the 3-0 win at Brentford before the international break.

So what’s the latest when it comes to the Arsenal treatment room? Below, we take a look.

What’s the latest with Odegaard?

The Arsenal captain missed the win at Brentford due to a troublesome calf injury.

Odegaard has been struggling with the issue for a few weeks, but has been able to continue playing through the pain.

But after taking part in the final training session before the Brentford game, it was decided that it would be best for the playmaker to sit out the trip to west London.

He is undergoing further checks and could still link up with the Norway squad during the international break depending on the results.

Norway manager Stale Solbakken has even suggested that Odegaard could help the squad in a coaching role, should he be unable to play in their games against Slovenia and Serbia.

“We’ll certainly see him in Norway,” Solbakken said. “Either as a player or a ‘fourth coach’. It means a lot to have him.”

Expected return date: Odegaard should be available to face Tottenham immediately after the international break, provided he doesn’t do any further damage to his injury while away with his national team.

Is Zinchenko out?

Oleksandr Zinchenko has been sidelined with a calf injury and has been forced to remain in England during the international break.

That mean he will miss Ukraine’s games against Scotland and Armenia.

Arsenal are hopeful the injury is not too serious, however, and believe that he will be back in action relatively swiftly.

Expected return date: Arsenal are hopeful that Zinchenko could be back for the north London derby against Spurs on October 1.

What about Mohamed Elneny?

Elneny injured his hamstring in the win against Fulham on August 27.

The Egypt international completed the game, but the extent of the problem became clear soon after.

“With Mo, we’re talking months,” Arteta said, when offering an update on Elneny’s recovery timetable on September 2.

Expected return date: It’s currently unclear how long Elneny will be sidelined, but early suggestions are that he might not be available until January at the earliest.

What happened to Emile Smith Rowe?

Smith Rowe continues to be troubled by his ongoing groin injury.

He has not featured since the defeat at Manchester United, when he was seen to pull up during the post-match warm down and looked visibly upset as he trudged off the pitch while in conversation with a member of the Arsenal coaching staff.

Speaking about Smith Rowe on September 7, Mikel Arteta said: “He felt discomfort in an area that [he’s been dealing with] now for a few weeks.”

Expected return date: This remains unclear, but the Smith Rowe is a doubt for Arsenal’s game against Tottenham on October 1.

Where is Cedric Soares?

The Portugal international was expected to get his first start of the season in Arsenal’s Europa League clash against FC Zurich on September 8.

But he picked up an injury in training ahead of the game and was forced to stay in England while the rest of the squad flew out to Switzerland.

He then also sat out the Premier League game at Brentford due to the problem.

Expected return date: Sources close to Soares believe he will be sidelined for up to two weeks, so it’s likely that his first game back could be the north London derby on October 1.

Any update on Nelson?

Nelson was an unused substitute in Arsenal’s season opener at Crystal Palace, but has been absent ever since.

“He felt something in training,” Mikel Arteta said ahead of the match against Leicester on August 13. “We scanned it, and the doctor came with some bad news. 

“It’s a muscular injury. Hopefully, he will be back soon.”

Nelson returned to training just ahead of the game against Brentford and will be using the international break to really ramp up his fitness.

Expected return date: Providing he suffers no setbacks, Nelson should be available for the Tottenham game on October 1.

What’s happening with Partey?

Thomas Partey was named in the Ghana starting XI to face Brazil on Friday night, but pulled out after feeling something wrong with his knee in the build-up.

Given Partey’s ongoing injury issues, Arsenal fans were understandably worried after hearing the news – especially with the north London derby against Tottenham on October 1 looming large.

But sources close to Partey insist the decision to take him out of the Brazil game was purely precautionary as Ghana did not want to take any risks with their star man.

They insist that there is nothing to worry about and that he should be fine to feature against Spurs immediately after the international break.

The Ghana Football Association have, however, confirmed that Partey will miss Tuesday’s game with Nicaragua after giving him permission to return to England for “further assessment” on the knee issue.

Expected return date: Providing the initial prognosis on Partey is correct, he should be available to face Spurs on October 1.