Mikel Merino and his Arsenal teammates (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino could be in doubt for the rest of the club’s season and possibly the 2026 World Cup in the summer due to a mysterious injury.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta explained that Merino’s injury is rare, so there is no clear idea when the Spaniard will return to fitness, but at the moment it is considered serious.
Many outlets have reported that Merino will likely end the season, which means he will miss out on the title with Arsenal, and his participation in the World Cup could also be questioned.
This will be painful for the fans of the Spanish national team as they start making their preparations for the tournament and looking at how to buy tickets for the World Cup in Spain as their country aims to lift the trophy this summer.
What Mikel Arteta said about Mikel Merino’s injury
As quoted by Arsenal’s official website recently, Arteta has made it clear that Merino’s injury looks serious and will require a procedure.
Describing it as a “big blow”, Arteta said: “You (Merino) need to make a process, which is not always right.
“It’s a rare injury so we have to wait and see when we have surgery, how it reacts every day, obviously we’ve been monitoring it for a week so we can have surgery and see.
“I know Mikel will do everything in his power to come back as soon as possible. But you also have to respect the healing process and the fact that obviously injuries are rare.”
Mikel Merino will miss Arsenal and Spain
Anyone who has watched him will definitely agree that Merino is one of the most underrated footballers in the game today.
The 29-year-old has put in a string of excellent performances whether playing in midfield or as a striker for Arsenal, and has a great scoring record.
With 15 goals in 77 games for Arsenal, and eight goals in his last 10 games for Spain, Merino has shown just how valuable he can be as he comes into his own very late in his career.
Spain have fellow Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi as another key part of their midfield, along with other big names such as Manchester City’s Rodri and Barcelona’s Pedri, so they are not short of other quality options in that area of the pitch.
At the same time, however, Merino offers some unique qualities that many others cannot, and Arsenal fans will have to hope that perhaps he can return sooner than expected, and that his absence does not prove too costly as they compete for the Premier League and Carabao Cup in the coming months.
