Martin Odegaard injury is "best-case scenario" for Arsenal as Ethan Nwaneri shows new dimension to Mikel Arteta

Martin Odegaard's injury layoff can be considered "best-case scenario" for Arsenal following the news that the Norwegian will be sidelined for around a month, expert Charles Watts has told Sports Mole.

On Monday afternoon, it was reported that Odegaard would be missing until after the next international break with the MCL injury he sustained in Arsenal's 2-0 Premier League win over West Ham United before the October international break.

Odegaard will therefore miss matches against the likes of Atletico Madrid, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion, but all being well, he will be fit for the North London derby on November 23 and the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on November 26.

As a result, Odegaard's four-week absence is not a "massive blow" for Arsenal, Watts believes, as the 26-year-old will not have a few weeks to properly recuperate from the various niggles he has already nursed this season.

“I'm not looking at it as a massive blow," Watts said. "I've seen some saying it's a blow, some saying it's a boost. I’m somewhere in between. It's kind of best case scenario.

“When it happened, the immediate reaction afterwards - him in a knee brace - you start to think pretty serious layoff. For it just to be until after the international break, I don't think it's the worst thing. If that timescale proves correct, you're missing four Premier League games and they're against Fulham, Palace, Burnley and Sunderland.

“They're all difficult games - any games are in the Premier League - but it's not the worst possible outcome. And he'll be pretty relieved as well. He doesn't have to have surgery. It could have been a lot worse.

“He could have missed more games - tougher games - and it gives him time to really reset and hit the ground running once this latest injury is out of the way. I wish he was fit, obviously, but I'm not distraught. More relieved to be honest.”

Martin Odegaard injury: 'Relief' over Arsenal captain's layoff

Odegaard had previously sustained two separate shoulder injuries before damaging his knee against West Ham, where he became the first player in Premier League history to be taken off in the first half of three consecutive starts in the competition.

However, Arsenal are not short of options to fill in for the former Real Madrid starlet, whose spot was previously filled by Mikel Merino to little effect when he was dealing with his previous shoulder concerns.

Instead, Eberechi Eze and Ethan Nwaneri represent more natural options in the number 10 role for Mikel Arteta, who has played the former centrally in Arsenal's last three Premier League games against Manchester City, Newcastle and West Ham.

Eze only has one goal and two assists to show from his first eight appearances for Arsenal, but Watts has now called on the England international to be "the guy" for the Gunners in his captain's absence.

“He’s done fine since he's arrived," Watts said of Eze. "His numbers, they're not bad. He's heavily involved in games when he does play. He was really, really good in that first half against Newcastle, caused problems in the game against West Ham.

“But this is a good opportunity for him to really stand up and say: ‘I can play in a central area, I can take control, I can be the heartbeat of this team like Martin Odegaard.’

“But this time last year, Martin Odegaard gets injured, what are Arsenal going to do? Where are they going to find that creative spark? They don't have that issue this time around. But you want those players to really stand up now.

“Eze’s he's done well since he's arrived, but he's not been the guy yet. He's been a part of the machine, which is great, but this is an opportunity to really emerge from that, take some games by the grasp of the neck and really show who he is.”

Ethan Nwaneri's added dimension assessed amid Martin Odegaard injury

While Eze should be first in line to fill in for Odegaard, Arsenal play seven games in all competitions before the next international break, and the former Crystal Palace attacker is unlikely to start every single one.

As a result, 18-year-old talent Nwaneri could belatedly force his way into Arteta's starting XI in the Premier League, having only made one start this season in the EFL Cup third-round win over Port Vale.

The 2007-born talent returns to London Colney on the back of an eye-catching performance for England's Under-21s during the international break, providing two assists and also helping his nation win a penalty in a 4-0 Euros qualifying win over Moldova.

Nwaneri had previously been renowned for his goalscoring abilities when cutting inside from the left, but he showed that there is more to his game during that mauling of Moldova, Watts believes.

“Eze’s going to be ahead of him in the pecking order. But there are going to be opportunities for Nwaneri," he added. "Maybe the odd start. But there’s Champions League next week – is Eze going to play all three games? Probably not.

“I think he'll start one of them, or he'll be hoping he's going to. The key thing about that Moldova game, a lot of people look at Ethan and think he's more of a shooter than a creator. You've got to take opposition into account, but he showed he can create in that game. He does have an eye for a pass, he can split the lines.

“That’s what he's going to need to do more of in this Arsenal team. It's not just about getting on your left foot and curling it into the far corner - as spectacular as that is! It’s a great weapon to have in your arsenal, but you need to have a bit more than that if you're stepping into Martin Odegaard's shoes. And I do think he can do it.”

An Arsenal-less Odegaard return to domestic duty away to London rivals Fulham in Saturday's Premier League encounter, where victory will keep them ahead of reigning champions Liverpool at the top of the table.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Odegaard's injury