Mikel Merino reveals details of freak injury that delayed his Arsenal debut

Mikel Merino has spoken out about the emotional suffering caused by the unfortunate injury that got his Arsenal career beginning to the worst possible start.

The Spain star turned down offers from Atletico Madrid and Barcelona to join the Gunners following his performance at Euro 2024, where he played a key part in his country’s victory.

Mikel Arteta saw the former Real Sociedad player as the ideal prospective midfield partner for Declan Rice, but his plans were put on hold after the 28-year-old was hurt in his first training session with his new club after colliding with Gabriel Magalhaes.

‘To come in here, you want to have a good few days to show everyone what you are capable of, to demonstrate why they have put their trust in you, and then the first thing that happens is you break your scapula,’ Merino said.

‘It’s difficult to recover from it mentally. Everyone in the club was incredibly friendly to me, and you could sense their love and support.

It was a really unlucky moment. The motion is just…I mean… I’ve never seen an injury like this before in my career.

But, well, these things happen. Obviously, the timing was not ideal, but I choose to focus on the positive aspects.

‘This allowed me a lot of time to think, to get to know my teammates, to get to know the coaches, to concentrate on myself, the things that I need to do in terms of tactics and physicality, and I believe I am a much better player today than I was four weeks ago.

Merino made his Champions League debut in Thursday night’s 2-0 win over PSG, earning plaudits from his boss for displaying the ball-winning abilities that have been his specialty.

Merino has been stunned by a boss who has already opened his eyes to aspects of the game he was unaware of.

When questioned about training under Arteta, Merino replied, “It’s amazing, to be honest with you.”

‘They do stuff I have never seen before in my profession. The tactics they employ are all new to me, so it will undoubtedly take some time to adjust.

I don’t want to tell you everything we do, but there is no break between one moment and the next. They are always testing you cognitively with various stimuli. It constantly alerts you to what is going on around you.

‘I believe that once you have it, you are on a different level because they test you every day, not just physically, but cognitively. That sharpens your mental abilities, which you will discover throughout the game.