Mikel Merino joined Arsenal late in the transfer window and was odds on to make his debut against Wolves, but he suffered a shoulder injury in his very first training session at the club.
Words from Mikel Arteta’s pre-Brighton press conference confirmed that Arsenal fans will have to wait a little longer to see their new man in action.
“It’s very unfortunate. Yesterday he had a collision and got a shoulder injury. He’s going to be out for a few weeks. It’s really bad luck and we were all very excited. He was looking very good, he landed on the floor, Gabi went on top of him and it looks like he’s got a small fracture probably. He was in so much pain, so we have to wait and see with the staff to do some more tests to have more conclusive answers.”
The initial prognosis of the injury was that Merino was going to be out for two months, missing a whole lot of action in the Premier League, EFL Cup and Champions League, before a potential return in late October. The first pictures of Merino Arsenal fans witnessed was one of sadness, as he was seen donning a shoulder sling, looking terribly unhappy, as he’d have preferred to be with his new teammates on the pitch.
Arsenal receive a big boost on Merino’s injury
Following the impressive North London Derby victory over Tottenham, the squad gathered together to celebrate David Raya’s 29th birthday. However, during the event, Merino was spotted celebrating with his teammates, without the shoulder sling, clapping as the cake was brought to the table.
This is very great news, as seeing Merino without the sling shows that he has achieved great strides in his recovery process, so we should expect him sooner rather than later.
