Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly discovered the extent of the injury suffered by his new signing, Mikel Merino. And the results are not positive for the north Londoners.
Euro 2024-winning midfielder Merino only signed for the club last week, with Arsenal forking out £31.6million to Real Sociedad for a permanent deal. But a nightmare unfolded in his very first training session, when a collision with Gabriel Magalhaes fractured his shoulder.
According to The Daily Mail, Merino will miss around two months as a result, leaving him out of action until after the next international break in October.
Related articles
At present, coaching staff at the Emirates Stadium are hoping Merino will be fit to face Bournemouth in the Premier League on October 20 or Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League the following week.
Merino is expected to fight for minutes in Arsenal's midfield alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. Thomas Partey has occupied the third spot in the opening weeks of the season, with Jorginho and youngster Ethan Nwaneri providing options from the bench.
Arteta would have loved to be able to call on Merino straight after the current international break, when Arsenal will meet bitter rivals Tottenham in the north London derby. Midfield general Rice will serve a suspension against Spurs after being sent off in Saturday's draw with Brighton.
When revealing Merino's injury to the media, Arteta said: "Very unfortunate. He had a collision and he has a shoulder injury. It looks like he’s going to be out for a few weeks. 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."
Though Merino will miss out, the Spurs clash could see other new signings thrown in at the deep end. Versatile defender Riccardo Calafiori is yet to be used from the start since completing a £42m move from Bologna in July.
Related articles
There may also be scope for Raheem Sterling to feature following his sensational deadline-day switch from Chelsea. Arsenal's left-wing starting berth is seemingly up for grabs as Gabriel Martinelli has kicked off the season in underwhelming form, while Leandro Trossard disappointed in his place against Brighton.
With two wins and a draw from their opening three matches, the Gunners sit fourth in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Liverpool, who have both made flawless starts.
