Mikel Merino
ARSSpain
Left
Jun 22, 1996
29
6'2"
183 lb
CM
CF
Creative Playmaker
ArsenalRanking
News
Out of boot
Merino (foot) is out of his boot and starting to exercise again, according to manager Mikel Arteta. "He's out of his boot now. He's doing quite a lot of exercises already. He's reacted really well to the surgery. He's got no pain. It's more for the medical staff to go a bit further on that. But I'm sure there is a chance to make that period shorter. If there is a person who can do it, I'm sure that's going to be Mikel again."
Analysis: Merino received foot surgery in February and is finally seeing some progress in his return from injury, as the midfielder is out of his walking boot. He has started to do some exercises, but is likely still far from any type of team training. With a return hopefully coming in May, he will be cautious with his training, needing to be fit for the World Cup for Spain come summertime.
Set to miss several months
Merino (foot) successfully underwent surgery and has begun a lengthy recovery process that is expected to take several months, coach Mikel Arteta said in the press conference. "I think the doctors were really happy with the way the surgery went. Now it's the start of obviously a long process, we're talking about bone healing. So, we'll respect the timings, and I'm sure he's going to do everything he possibly can to speed up that recovery. The timeframes we're talking about are months - whether it's three, four or five, we don't know."
Analysis: Merino has gone under the knife to repair a foot injury and is now staring at a long rehab road that's expected to stretch over several months. At this point, a comeback before the end of the season is looking more and more unlikely. The versatile midfielder had locked down a regular starting spot for the Gunners and was putting together a strong campaign, with June's World Cup firmly on his radar. This setback could sideline him for the remainder of the season in the worst case scenario and may ultimately rule him out of contention for La Roja as well.
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