Arsenal have now learned how long they can expect Mikel Merino to be sidelined for.
Mikel Merino is being forced to wait before he can make his Arsenal debut, having joined the North London club in the final week of the summer transfer window.
Merino sustained an injury in his first Arsenal training session, following a collision with Gabriel Magalhaes. Mikel Arteta quickly confirmed that the Spaniard would be out of action for a number of weeks.
Arsenal fans were devastated by Merino’s misfortune, which will have brought back memories of Jurrien Timber’s similar setback last season. On that occasion, having just joined the Gunners, the Dutchman injured his ACL in the first Premier League game of the season, and did not return to action until the final day of the campaign.
Fortunately, Merino will not spend nearly as long on the treatment table as Timber did, but he will still miss some crucial fixtures, including the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur next time out.
Arsenal will also be without Declan Rice for that clash with their bitter local rivals, after he was controversially sent off in Saturday’s draw against Brighton at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta will need a new midfield solution for this fixture.
Meanwhile, the Spanish coach has now been informed how long he will have to wait before he can call upon Merino.
Mikel Merino given Arsenal return date
According to journalist Sami Mokbel, reporting X, Merino has been “pencilled in” for a mid-October return to action, as his fractured shoulder will see him miss out on close to two months of his maiden season at the Emirates Stadium.
Whilst the news could have been worse for the Gunners, the Euro 2024 winner will still miss out on a number of important matches.
On top of the North London derby, Merino will also be absent for Arsenal’s trip to face Manchester City in the Premier League, and at least the club’s first two Champions League outings of the season.
He will be hoping to be back in time to face Bournemouth in the Premier League on October 20th.
Other Arsenal injury news
Gabriel Jesus is also still injured, but may be able to recover enough during the upcoming international break to be available to face Spurs.
On top of that, Takehiro Tomiyasu is still out of action. As quoted by the official club website, Arteta was recently quizzed about the Japanese defender’s progress.
The manager revealed: “At the moment is difficult to say, it’s a bit slow the process of the first phase of that injury. It’s probably for the medical team to say more than that. He’s not done any training yet.”
Kieran Tierney is also unfit, having sustained an injury whilst representing Scotland at Euro 2024. This knock prevented the Gunners from being able to move the surplus-to-requirements left-back on this summer.
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