Martin Odegaard could be out of action for up to six weeks with a medial collateral ligament injury, leaving Arsenal to reckon with his absence both on the pitch and in the finance department.

The elegant Norwegian playmaker, 26, had hit a purple patch for Arsenal in recent weeks, making the MCL setback he suffered in Saturday’s 2-0 win over West Ham all the more galling for Mikel Arteta.

Speaking about Odegaard’s injury, Arteta said: “Immediately, he was uncomfortable. I just spoke to him. He’s not positive about it. He’s got a brace on. We’ll have to wait and see from the doctors, but we haven’t been very lucky with that either.

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“We’ll find solutions, but obviously he’s our captain and is a player that gives us a completely different dimension with the things that he can do, especially in attacking.”

Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images

Martin Odegaard, who has now withdrawn from the Norway squad that was due to face Israel and New Zealand in the international break, is one of Arsenal’s best-paid players.

After signing a new deal almost exactly two years ago, he now...