Mikel Merino relives injury “fear” as Arsenal midfielder closes in on emotional return | OneFootball

Mikel Merino has revealed he feared for both his Arsenal season and World Cup dreams after suffering a rare stress fracture which even specialists struggled to fully understand.

Now, almost four months after sustaining the injury in Arsenal’s defeat to Manchester United on January 25, the Spain midfielder is finally back training with the squad and could make his return against Crystal Palace on Sunday before travelling to Budapest for next week’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

For Merino, simply being back on the grass again already feels emotional.

“Honestly this morning I woke up and I was feeling like the first day of school,” he said after returning to full training at London Colney.

“Being around my team mates for the first time again, unbelievable. To get all that love from them is great.”

The fan favourite, 29, admitted the injury initially left him deeply concerned after scans revealed a severe stress fracture in an unusual area of his right foot.

“It was a strange injury,” Merino explained. “It’s a stress fracture in a very strange part of the foot where not even the specialists had seen before. It was a weird one.

“At the beginning I was a little scared, I’m not going to lie. We didn’t know what to expect, what path to take during the recovery and if I was going to be able to play again.”

The midfielder confessed the emotional impact hit him hard when doctors warned he could miss around five months of action.

“When I got the news and they said I was going to be out around five months, I could only think about missing the World Cup, missing the end of the season with my team and not being able to help them,” he admitted.

“I was devastated at the time.”

Merino spent weeks unable to walk properly, eventually resorting to using a mobility scooter around the training ground to lift his spirits during a frustrating rehabilitation process.

“I couldn’t walk for two months,” he said. “The mobility scooter was a fun way to see the light of day and enjoy time with the dog.”

But rather than feeling sorry for himself, Merino focused on staying mentally positive and remaining close to Mikel Arteta’s squad throughout Arsenal’s title charge.

“I had two options, to go down and cry myself to extinction or keep my head up, be positive and try to use my time to improve other aspects,” he explained.

“Working as hard as I can is the way I approach life.”

That mentality has helped him through the toughest spell of his Arsenal career while watching from the stands as his team mates clinched the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final.

“It hasn’t been great watching from the stands,” he admitted.

“I’m very nervous watching the team. When things are not going well you want to jump and help them on the pitch.

“Finally I’m feeling like one of the Arsenal supporters, suffering big time and enjoying every single second when we win.”

Merino praised the togetherness within the squad and revealed how team mates constantly encouraged him during his recovery.

“Every time they saw me they were asking me how I was doing and telling me I was going to get back soon enough to help them and score a header in the Champions League final,” he smiled.

“Those conversations always give you extra motivation.”

The Spain international now hopes to be involved at Selhurst Park on Sunday before Arsenal face PSG in the biggest European game in the club’s modern history.

“That’s the goal,” he said. “I’m with the team. Whenever the gaffer needs, I’ll be ready to do whatever he wants.”

Merino believes Arsenal’s title success has been built on resilience after overcoming difficult moments during the campaign.

“This season you could see a very mature team,” he said.

“Maybe in a different year we could have crumbled. Instead everybody came together and pushed in the same direction.

“That was the changing point. We realised we were strong enough mentally to overcome difficult situations. We did it.”