MIKEL MERINO is expected to be out of action for an extended period of time following a foot injury that requires surgery.
The midfielder, 29, was left out of Arsenal’s 4-0 victory over Leeds United on Saturday, with manager Mikel Arteta revealing he had an issue with his foot.
Now the club have confirmed that Merino is set for an extended period on the sidelines and will have to go under the knife.
A statement read: “Further to sustaining a foot injury towards the end of our game against Manchester United on January 25, subsequent assessments and specialist reviews have confirmed Mikel Merino has a bone injury in his right foot.
“Mikel will have surgery in the coming days and will then begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme.
“Mikel is expected to be out of action for an extended period, with the aim of returning to full training before the end of the season.
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“Everyone is fully focused on supporting Mikel to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.”
Merino’s injury is unfortunate timing given Arsenal have just let fellow attacking midfielder Ethan Nwaneri join Marseille on loan until the end of the season.
SunSport understands that Arsenal are open to bringing in a replacement before tomorrow’s transfer deadline.
However, any addition will have to slot straight into the squad and be of sufficient quality to help sustain the Gunners’ title charge.
At present, there is no timeline for Merino’s return to action.
Taking to Instagram, Merino wrote: “Time to stop now with a foot injury.
“Sometimes life throws this kind of challenge when it is less convenient. Just another opportunity to be strong, resilient and overcome it. We have the best medical team and together we will come back stronger.
“Thank you all, your support means everything to me and I can’t wait to be back on the pitch soon, helping my team and doing what I love.”
The news comes after Bukayo Saka pulled up with an injury during the warm-up before Arsenal’s Elland Road victory.
Saka, who was replaced in the lineup by Noni Madueke, is being assessed ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg against Chelsea on Tuesday night.
On the other hand, the return of Kai Havertz will be a boost to Arteta, with the German starting – and excelling – in midfield for Arsenal’s last two games.
Elsewhere, Oleksandr Zinchenko brought his time in North London to a permanent end on Sunday.
Zinchenko has joined Dutch giants Ajax for a fee understood to be in the region of £1million.
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