Mikel Arteta has confirmed that new Arsenal signing Mikel Merino will miss the club’s Premier League fixture with Brighton due to an arm injury.
Merino’s transfer from Real Sociedad was announced on Tuesday (August 27).
The 28-year-old was filmed participating in individual training sessions but had not featured in a match since coming off the bench in Spain’s 1-0 European Championship final win over England.
Arteta confirmed that the midfielder sustained the injury after defender Gabriel fell on top of him during his first training session.
Arteta said of Merino’s injury: “Yes, very unfortunate yesterday in a collision. Yesterday he picked up a shoulder injury and it looks like he will be out for a few weeks.
“It looks like a small fracture probably. He has to do more tests and then have more conclusive answers.”
Putting in the work 💪
Check out Mikel’s first training session as an Arsenal player ✅ pic.twitter.com/5G1AOQZZ3Y
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 28, 2024
The midfielder, who played in every game at the Euros for Spain, was not called up to the national team for next month’s international break.
Arteta also confirmed that forward Gabriel Jesus is also “progressing” but will miss the game against Brighton on Saturday.
The Athletic previously reported that the 27-year-old will undergo an MRI scan to determine the severity of what Arsenal described as a ‘slight’ groin injury. The injury resulted in the 27-year-old forward missing his side’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.
Initial indications are that the injury is not serious and Jesus is expected to miss a relatively short period, helped by the upcoming international break which follows Arsenal’s home game against Brighton & Hove Albion next Saturday.
“He’s progressing really well,” Arteta said. “He had a muscle injury (groin) and he’s already doing a lot of stuff so we expect him to be with us soon (not for Brighton though).”
GO DEEPER
How the Basque Country made ‘machine’ Merino perfect for Arteta’s Arsenal
(Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
