- Mikel Arteta revealed that Mikel Merino has been training as he awaits his Arsenal debut
- The Spaniard suffered a bizarre injury during his first training in North London
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Mikel Merino has put pressure on Arsenal’s staff to let him out of the cage as he has the chance to return from his broken shoulder next week, which will be a big boost for the club.
The midfielder has had to wait for his Gunners debut since signing for Real Sociedad after suffering a freak injury during his first training session with Gabriel landing on him.
But according to Mikel Arteta, Merino could be back ahead of schedule for Arsenal’s match against Southampton next weekend.
Ahead of the Gunners’ match against Leicester on Saturday, Arteta said: ‘Tomorrow is too early. We’ll see next week. He had a partial workout today. He worked so hard.
‘It looks good. It’s about the healing of the bone and how mature that is to actually expose it to contact.
Mikel Merino could make his Arsenal debut next weekend as he continues to recover from injury
Mikel Arteta revealed that the Spain international has been pushing for participation in recent days
Merino is yet to make his debut for the Gunners after picking up an injury in his first training session
“We’re trying to keep him in the cage because he’s put pressure on everyone – the physios, the doctors, everyone – and he’s ready to go, and he really wants it. I think we now feel comfortable exposing him to contact, and he looked really good in training.”
Pep Guardiola had said his friendship with Arteta was not damaged after Sunday’s hard-fought 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Manchester City, which had a number of sticking points.
Asked how they can maintain that relationship, Arteta said: “First of all, because I love him, I respect him, I admire him and I admire his team and everything he does. This is sports.
‘One is our profession, the other is our personal relationship. If our relationship was damaged because one drew and the other won or because of the number of times they beat us, I wouldn’t talk to him anymore.
“So that’s not our relationship, and certainly not the relationship I think we both have. In sports it will never get in the way of a personal relationship for me. That’s for sure.’