Mikel Arteta must heed warning from mistake vs Tottenham in 2020 as decision looms over Arsenal star

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Arsenal are sweating over the fitness of captain Martin Odegaard ahead of a daunting trip to face Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby.

Odegaard picked up an ankle injury during the International break, at the worst possible time given that midfielder Declan Rice is suspended for the trip to face Spurs.

Mikel Arteta refused to rule Odegaard out of action, and there is still a chance he could play some part against Tottenham, with more tests needed to determine the extent of his potential injury.

Youngster Ethan Nwaneri could be called upon to replace Odegaard if he does miss the game, but given the nature of the rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham, starting the 17-year-old would be a huge risk.

However, even if Odegaard is cleared to play against Spurs, Arteta cannot repeat the same mistake he made in a North London derby in 2020.

• READ MORE: What is the North London Derby? Everything you need to know about the Arsenal and Tottenham rivalry

Mikel Arteta cannot repeat Thomas Partey mistake vs Tottenham with Martin Odegaard

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta hinted that the decision to play Odegaard will be based on further assessments over his ankle.

“I leave that to the doctor. He’s willing and he wants to be present in every game. We need to make sure we know first how good he is or not,” Arteta stated of Odegaard, hinting that he could still be involved.

If Odegaard is cleared to play despite his injury, Arteta must be wary over his potential involvement after what happened to Thomas Partey in 2020.

In December 2020, Arsenal travelled to face Spurs in a time of crisis, but they were able to unexpectedly welcome Partey back to the starting lineup despite an injury.

However, Partey lasted just 43 minutes, before pulling up with another injury, with the midfielder clearly far from full fitness. As he limped off the pitch, Arteta pushed him back on, but he could not prevent a counter-attack which Harry Kane scored.

Arsenal had lost the game, and lost Partey to an even longer injury as a result of the Ghanaian being rushed back, and Arteta cannot do the same to Odegaard.

Arsenal must forget Martin Odegaard against Tottenham Hotspur

Odegaard will be a huge miss for Arsenal, but they are better off leaving him out of the squad rather than trying to force him in when he is carrying an injury.

If there is a chance that Odegaard can fully recover for Arsenal’s trip to Manchester City next week, this should be prioritised, rather than forcing him in against Spurs without full fitness.

If Odegaard ends up playing against Tottenham and his injury worsens, it would be a disaster to lose him for the Man City clash, if there is a chance he can recover for the title clash at the Etihad Stadium.