Mikel Merino loved what £34m Arsenal teammate did during frustrating late draw to Man City

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Mikel Merino was one of several Arsenal players who were missing against Manchester City on Sunday, the Spaniard is expected to return at some point next month.

As of now it seems that Martin Odegaard will be missing for slightly longer, Mikel Arteta won’t be able to count on his Arsenal captain for the foreseeable future. 

Therefore, it would be excellent timing for Merino to return, providing Arteta with added creativity in the middle, which may be slightly lacking in ‘winnable’ home games to come.

Thus far, whilst Odegaard has been absent, Arsenal have been navigating incredibly difficult away trips, ones when the Norwegian’s flair wouldn’t have been best utilised.

However, against the likes of Leicester City, Southampton and even Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Arsenal will miss their chief conductor.

That being said, in the absence of his new captain, Riccardo Calafiori certainly provided that spark.

Mikel Merino sends message to Riccardo Calafiori after his first Arsenal goal

Calafiori’s first goal for the club against Man City will live long in the memory, a moment the Italian would have been dreaming of.

Calafiori started because Ben White was injured – making his second half cameo at the Etihad even more impressive.

READ MORE: £30m fan-favourite told he made a big mistake when choosing to leave Arsenal this summer

That being said, after making his full Arsenal debut and scoring a stunning strike in the process, Calafiori took to Instagram to celebrate.

Calafiori cost Arsenal £34m from Bologna, a fee he’s already begun to pay off, and after his excellent showing he penned a message to fans saying: “Amazing team spirit today,we deserved more.

“So happy to mark my full debut with a goal. Thanks for the great support!!!”

A host of Arsenal players replied, and among messages from the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes, Merino also congratulated his new teammate with a couple of emojis, amazed by the Italian’s first half rocket.

Leandro Trossard will be available to face Leicester City next weekend

Roy Keane wasn’t impressed with Leandro Trossard for picking up a needless second yellow card on Sunday, sentiments shared by a lot of Arsenal fans.

However, Trossard won’t actually be suspended for Arsenal’s next Premier League tie against Leicester City.

Instead, the Belgian will miss the EFL Cup tie with Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday through suspension, an ideal scenario for Arsenal.

Raheem Sterling seems likely to make his first Arsenal start in the fixture, probably joined by the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

And in truth, the Gunners will benefit from a more relaxed atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium, even if progressing to the next round is still paramount.