Arsenal captain was hurt playing for NorwayChampions League tie at Atalanta is four days after Spurs Arsenal are still waiting to discover the full extent of Martin Ødegaard’s ankle injury but their captain is expected to be unavailable for at least three weeks, meaning he will miss Sunday’s north London derby and the trip to Manchester City on 22 September. Ødegaard left the pitch in tears after a challenge from Christoph Baumgartner during Norway’s win over Austria on Monday night and was pictured on crutches on Tuesday when he returned to Arsenal for more tests, with the Norwegian FA stating he had sustained “a bad ankle injury”. The 25-year-old is understood to have had a scan and will be assessed further by Arsenal’s medical staff as the bruising subsides. Continue reading...

New player union research shows the impact on footballer workload as rested Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah highlighted by survey.

Haaland makes it seven goals in opening three matchesGuardiola also praises England squad returnee Grealish Pep Guardiola said that even a defender carrying a gun would not be able to stop Erling Haaland after the striker scored a second consecutive hat-trick in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over West Ham. Haaland, who has started the new campaign with seven goals in City’s first three games, is looking back to his best after struggling with a fitness problem at the end of last season. Continue reading...

What can any team do when Manchester City have such a striker in one of the world’s best-managed squads? Before this visit of the greatest team in modern English football, a gaggle of excitable young West Ham fans were overheard discussing their side’s prospects for the afternoon. “No, but actually be honest,” said one boy to another. “What do you really think will happen?” After a moment’s thought, he predicted a 3-1 defeat for the hosts, with Erling Haaland scoring two of the goals. A couple of hours later, his crystal ball had delivered almost the perfect forecast. Continue reading...