Fresh injury blow with Arsenal player now out of action for 6-8 weeks – report | OneFootball

Arsenal summer arrival and Spain international midfielder Mikel Merino is set to spend at least six weeks out of action due to the injury he sustained in training, according to Team News and Ticks on Patreon.

The Gunners account, famous for leaking team news on the internet and followed by the likes of Dharmesh Sheth, David Ornstein, Fabrizio Romano and Gary Jacobs on X (formerly known as Twitter), has been a trusted source concerning all things Arsenal for months, and he provided an update on the former Real Sociedad star last night.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed that Merino has a shoulder injury after Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes landed on him after he fell in training, which explains why he was not called up to the latest Spain squad earlier on Friday.

The Spaniard claimed the new player is going to be out for a few weeks, and TNAT believes it could be up to six or eight weeks.

It is a huge blow for a player who was desperate to hit the ground running upon completing his move to the North London club, and he is unlikely to return to action until October.

Arsenal have begun the 2024-25 Premier League campaign with the midfield trio of Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice starting their opening two games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa, and they are expected to retain their spots against Brighton & Hove Albion later today.

Merino will be looking forward to making his debut but may find it tough to walk straight into the starting XI if Partey continues to impress and manages to stay fit.

The Ghana international was tipped to leave Arsenal earlier in the summer transfer window but has proven his fitness and quality all over again since pre-season and was solid in their opening games of the season.

Nevertheless, Merino has everything it takes to break into the starting XI and establish himself as a key player for Arsenal, and he will work on quickly getting back to fitness over the coming weeks.