Mikel Merino made his long-awaited Arsenal debut against PSG (Picture: Getty)
Mikel Merino has opened up on the mental anguish caused by the freak injury that saw his Arsenal career get off to the worst possible start.
The Spain international resisted offers from Atletico Madrid and Barcelona to sign for the Gunners following his exploits at Euro 2024 where he played a prominent role in his nation’s triumph.
Mikel Arteta identified the former Real Sociedad star as a perfect potential midfield partner for Declan Rice, but his plans were put on the backburner after the 28-year-old was injured in his first training session with his new club after a collision with Gabriel Magalhaes.
‘To come in here, you want to have a nice few days to show everybody what you are capable of, to show why they have put faith in you and then the first thing that happens is you break your scapula,’ said Merino.
‘It is tough to recover from that mentally. Everybody here in the club was really nice to me, really lovely, you could feel the love and support of everybody.
‘It was such an unlucky moment. If you see the action… it’s just …I mean… I haven’t seen an injury like this ever in my career.
‘But, well, these are things that happen. Obviously it was not the best timing, but at the same time I like to look at the pros, the bright side of it.
Source:: Metro
