Mikel Merino has suffered a freak injury in training, just three days after signing for Arsenal.
The 28-year-old midfielder, who joined the Gunners from Real Sociedad for an initial £27.4 million plus £4.2m due in add-ons, took part in his first training session on Wednesday.
He ‘wasted no time’ building up his sharpness with the club’s coaching staff ahead of their Premier League clash against Brighton on Saturday and was in contention to feature.
But in his press conference on Friday, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed that Merino will be out for “a few weeks” after suffering a shoulder injury following an incident involving Gabriel.
The Brazilian defender is said to have landed on top of Merino after the latter landed on the floor – and he’s suffered a small fracture as a result. “Yes, very unfortunate,” Arteta said.
“Yesterday he had a collision and he has a shoulder injury. It looks like he’s going to be out for a few weeks.”
The Spaniard added: “He was really excited and everything was looking really good. He landed on the floor and Gabi landed on top of him and it looks like he has a small fracture probably.”
Arteta also confirmed that Gabriel Jesus will be out of Saturday’s early kick-off against Brighton as he continues to recover from a slight groin issue.
Earlier this week, Arteta revealed his delight at bringing Merino to the club following his impressive performances with Spain at Euro 2024.
“Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility,” he said.
“He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now. Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.”
Arteta added: “As we all saw in the summer, Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament.”
Image credit: Getty
Arsenal’s sporting director Edu also opened up on Merino’s arrival, saying: “We are so happy to have completed the transfer of Mikel Merino.
“This has been another great team effort from many people at the club to finalise the transfer of a player who attracted interest from a number of clubs over the summer.
“Mikel was a key target for us this summer, and we identified him as a player who can fit perfectly into our squad and profile to improve us, as we aim to build on our strong performances of last season. With Mikel’s arrival, he brings us an added high quality of experience, physicality and athleticism as we look forward to this season ahead.”
Edu added: “We welcome Mikel and his family to the club, and look forward to seeing him play in the Arsenal shirt.”
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