Mikel Merino, the club’s recent summer acquisition, will have to wait to make his Arsenal debut after the midfielder unintentionally hurt himself during his first practice. Merino may miss up to two months of action, according to reports, which would seriously hurt Mikel Arteta’s season-long plans.
Merino became Arsenal’s third major summer addition after Riccardo Calafiori left Bologna after an outstanding EURO 2024 campaign and David Raya signed a permanent deal from Brentford. Merino, who has excelled for Real Sociedad and Spain, was anticipated to play in the middle of Arsenal’s midfield alongside Declan Rice. But, Arteta will have to reconsider his midfield plan given that Merino is hurt and Rice is currently suspended after receiving a red card.
Merino suffered a fractured shoulder in what was called a “freaky incident” when he collided with center-back Gabriel Magalhaes during training. Merino is anticipated to miss games until the October international break, according to *Daily Mail* reports. This means he will be out of commission for a crucial portion of Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League campaigns.
Arsenal is facing challenging matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Atalanta, and Paris Saint-Germain at this difficult time, which makes Merino’s absence problematic. His injury allows midfielders Jorginho and Thomas Partey to step up, but Arteta’s team, which is hoping for a strong start in both domestic and European competitions, is not in better shape given the timing of his absence.
Merino is still regarded as an excellent addition to Arsenal’s roster in spite of the setback. The £32 million acquisition from Real Sociedad is the perfect midfield partner for Rice because he possesses the perfect mix of technical skill and physicality. When fully recovered, Merino is anticipated to be a vital deep-lying playmaker who will aid Arsenal in controlling games and winning more hardware this year.
