Mikel Arteta issues Arsenal injury update amid Martin Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko issues

Mikel Arteta has been speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup clash with Bolton Wanderers, providing an update on some of his injured starts. The Gunners are fresh off the back of a physical bruising clash with Manchester City that saw them draw 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

Arsenal held out for more than 45 minutes with 10 men only for John Stones to scramble home a last-gasp equaliser with virtually the last kick of the game. The Gunners will have been left heartbroken by the late goal, but it was ultimately a good result, especially under the circumstances.

They must now bounce back quickly as they prepare to face Bolton in the cup on Wednesday night, albeit a number of key stars are likely to be rested. One player who remains out is Martin Odegaard, who has been sidelined since picking up an ankle injury during the international break.

Arteta has now provided the most clearest update yet, suggesting Odegaard is likely to remain out until after the next break. "I think it will be a matter of weeks, but how long exactly I cannot tell,” said the Spaniard. "We might get a surprise but I think it's unlikely he'll be back before the international break."

On the absent Oleksandr Zinchenko, he simply added: “I think he will still be out for a few weeks unfortunately.” David Raya is also a doubt but the issue does not seem to be serious. Arsenal have come in for criticism for their style of play at City having employed a defensive game plan, with Bernardo Silva claiming “only one team came to play football.”

Arteta has hit back against that criticism, saying: “We had to play the game that we had to play. The first 15 minutes, we couldn't. They played 30 seconds with 10 men (when Rodri went off injured). Look what they did (they defended). It's normal what they did."

Carabao Cup hopes

Asked about whether the Carabao Cup is a priority and whether it can be an opportunity set the culture of success, Arteta said: “Yes for sure.

“We want to win the game tomorrow. We have to start with the first game. We have to understand what is the best team, the strongest team that we can put out to perform in the way that we need to to be better than Bolton and beat them.”

He added on the possibility of giving young players a chance: “It’s a great opportunity for any player to show what they are bringing in the games who haven’t had the ability to play much yet, to transform what they’re doing in training to give us the right reason and perform on the pitch.”