Arsenal summer signing picks up injury in first training session | OneFootball

Mikel Merino is expected to miss a few weeks of action with a shoulder injury suffered in training, according to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

Mikel Merino in an Arsenal kit in 2024 (Photo via Arsenal.com)

Mikel Merino signed for Arsenal from Real Sociedad this summer, but the midfielder is already out of action with a shoulder injury, Mikel Arteta has confirmed.

“Yes, very unfortunate,” Arteta said. “Yesterday he had a collision and he has a shoulder injury. It looks like he’s going to be out for a few weeks.

“He was really excited and everything was looking really good. He landed on the floor and Gabi landed on top of him and it looks like he has a small fracture probably.”

Mikel Merino signing his Arsenal contract

There had been some reports from Spain that Merino was nursing an injury prior to his move to Arsenal, and fears were compounded by the fact he initially joined individual training rather than group sessions.

Yet it seems the injury keeping Merino out on Saturday is unrelated, a freak clash with one of his new teammates.

Talk of a fracture is certainly worrying, and you’d expect Merino to miss at least a few weeks if that turns out to be correct. It’s far from the ideal start to life in north London for the midfielder.

STUTTGART, GERMANY: Mikel Merino of Spain celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-final match between Spain and Germany at Stuttgart Arena on July 05, 2024. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Merino’s injury history is generally encouraging, with only 47 games missed for club and country since his debut in 2014/15. That’s an average of four or five matches per campaign.

This is also the first time the 28-year-old has suffered a shoulder injury, so there’s no history of issues there.

With any luck, he’ll be back before too long and can adapt to the culture at his new club in the meantime.