When Arsenal’s team was announced for their game at Elland Road in the Premier League, Mikel Merino’s name was missing from the teamsheet and it looks like he is set for a spell on the sidelines with a broken foot that requires surgery.
With Mikel Arteta making nine changes to the side that had beaten Kairat Almaty during the week, many assumed that it was simply Mikel Merino‘s turn to get a day off when he wasn’t included in the squad for the game against Leeds.
However, speaking to the media ahead of the game, Arteta confirmed that it wasn’t just a case of resting Merino, rather the player has a problem with his foot.
Arteta said that it has been causing the midfielder pain and they would be consulting with a specialist to determine how long he will be out for.
“He’s got an issue in his foot,” Arteta said. “It’s a bone that’s giving him some pain, and we have some exams, we need some more specialists to look at it and to see how long he will be out.”
Early on Sunday, it was reported that Arsenal were believed to be concerned that it is a ‘serious’ issue that could see him sidelined for a number of weeks. By Sunday evening, David Ornstein was writing, “Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino expected to miss considerable period with suspected broken bone in foot. #AFC surveying market for potential loan as short-term cover for 29yo Spain intl; no guarantee anything materialises before deadline.”
Then, the Arsenal confirmation came – Merino would need surgery and will be out for a “an extended period”.
“Mikel will have surgery in the coming days and will then begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme,” Arsenal added.
Until this problem, Merino had been one of only three players for Arsenal not to miss a game through injury. The other two are David Raya and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The club are hopeful that they will see him in training before the end of the season.