Arteta gives worrying injury update on Odegaard and Rice after West Ham win

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that injuries to Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice are “not positive” following Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners secured all three points through goals from Rice and Bukayo Saka, sealing an impressive win before the international break.

However, the game ended with concern after both Odegaard and Rice picked up injuries.

The Arsenal captain was replaced in the 38th minute by Martin Zubimendi after suffering a knee issue, while Rice was withdrawn in the 79th minute holding his back.

Arteta concerned over Odegaard and Rice injuries

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Arteta admitted that the news regarding both players was not encouraging.

When asked about Odegaard’s condition, he said:

“He had a clash knee-to-knee and immediately he was uncomfortable. I just spoke to him and he’s not positive about it. He’s got a brace on. We’ll have to wait and see from the doctors.”

Arteta also revealed that Rice’s injury appeared worrying, explaining:

“He’s not alright because he asked me to come off, so that’s a shame. He had a pain in his back and he could not carry on, which is something very unusual for Declan, so we’ll have to assess him and see how he is.”

Manager praises team response after difficult run

West Ham had won on their previous two visits to the Emirates, but Arsenal put in a dominant display to end that run. Arteta praised his players for their resilience and attitude in recent fixtures.

Reflecting on recent performances, he said:

“The last two games have been very special in that sense. In Newcastle because we had a history there, a lot of scars and a lot of learnings to take.”

“We put that right, and then we had West Ham losing two games at home in the previous two seasons. I told them it was a big opportunity; we had very difficult fixtures since the start of the season, and some very bad injuries as well, which didn’t help.

“And still the team is there, the team is performing, playing well, winning today with I think absolute dominance and without conceding a goal. So, good to get to the international break in this spirit.”

Arsenal enter international break with renewed confidence

Arsenal now head into the international break full of momentum after back-to-back wins, though Arteta will be hoping for good news regarding Odegaard and Rice as the Gunners continue their hunt for major silverware.