Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot. The injury was sustained during Arsenal’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United on January 25, and his timeline for return remains to be seen. It is hard to gauge when he might be back in action, but he could be back on the pitch come May.
We’ll speculate on all that later. For now, Merino is apparently in great spirits having experienced a successful surgical operation.
Brentford vs Arsenal FC FYIs
Kick: Thurs. Feb 13, 8pm local, Gtech Community, London
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Google Result Probability: Brentford win 19% Arsenal FC win 57% Draw 24%
Premier League Form Guide, Standings: Brentford FC WLLWWW 7th, 39 pts Arsenal DDLWW 1st, 56 pts
“Surgery done! Already closer to be back,” the Spanish midfield maestro posted on Instagram. “Thank you so much to everyone for your messages and love. It really gives me even more energy to face the challenge. Vamos!”
Obviously, Merino would love to be back to fully match fit, and then back in the rhythm of everything well ahead of the World Cup in June.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is known for not being overly transparent about injury information, so he hasn’t said much lately.
This was what he said the last time that the spoke on it though:
“It is a very rare injury so we have to wait and see once we have the surgery, how it reacts daily, obviously monitor it throughout the weeks post surgery and see.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.