Mikel Arteta has revealed that Mikel Merino could make his Arsenal debut next week and opened up on what the midfielder will bring to the team.
Merino arrived at Arsenal this summer from Spanish side Real Sociedad for a reported fee of around £33m, but unfortunately picked up a shoulder injury in his very first training session.
Even without the Spain international the Gunners have made a good start to the season and sit fourth, two points behind leaders Manchester City.
Arteta provides update on Merino
Given the games are going to start coming thick and fast, Arteta will want to have as many players at his disposal as possible.
However, it seems that Merino’s debut isn’t far away and Arsenal fans could even get their first glimpse of him in action next week against either Paris Saint Germain or Southampton according to Arteta.
“Tomorrow [against Leicester] is too soon, next week we’ll see, he had partial training today,” Arteta told reporters.
“He’s been working so hard. It’s looking good. It’s about the healing of the bone and how mature that is to expose him to contact basically.
“We are trying to keep him in the cage, because he has been pushing everybody, all the physios, all the doctors, everybody!
“He is ready to go and he really wants it. I think we are comfortable now to start exposing him with contact and he looked really good in training.”
Merino shone for Spain at Euro 2024 as they won the tournament and Arteta is excited by what the 28-year-old will offer to the Gunners.
“First, he is going to bring an unbelievable football brain,” Arteta added.
“He is so intelligent, the way he decides, he occupies spaces, he makes decisions and it is very rare to see that.
“He is a really talented player in every phase, defending and attacking. He can do things that compliments really well with the qualities we have in midfield.
“[He will bring] physicality, for sure, and then he is a big threat. The moment he is in the opponent’s box, you see that he is a big, big threat.”