MERINO SEES INJURY AS A BLESSING AFTER IMPRESSIVE DEBUT

Mikel Merino believes that the injury he suffered in his very first training session with Arsenal turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The summer signing made his long-awaited debut for the Gunners in their 2-0 Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain, coming off the bench in the second half to play the final 25 minutes in place of Thomas Partey.

Merino, who joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad for over £30 million in August, had to wait patiently for his first appearance after a freak collision with center-back Gabriel left him with a shoulder injury. The setback was mentally tough for the Spaniard, but he now views the situation as an opportunity that has allowed him to get up to speed with Arsenal’s style and tactics.

“To come in here, you want to have a nice few days to show everybody what you are capable of, to show why they have put faith in you, and then the first thing that happens is you break your scapula,” Merino said. “It is tough to recover from that mentally. Everybody here in the club was really nice to me, really lovely, you could feel the love and support of everybody.”

Despite the frustrating start, Merino has embraced the positives. “It was such an unlucky moment. If you see the action… it’s just… I mean… I haven’t seen an injury like this ever in my career,” he reflected. “But, well, these are things that happen. Obviously, it was not the best timing, but at the same time, I like to look at the pros, the bright side of it.”

During his time on the sidelines, Merino used the break to familiarize himself with Arsenal’s tactical setup and get to know his teammates. “This gave me a lot of time to think, to get to know my teammates, to get to know the staff, to work on myself, the things that I need to do in terms of tactics, in terms of physicality, and I think I am a much better player now than I was four weeks ago,” he explained.

A major factor in Merino’s decision to push for a move to the Emirates Stadium was manager Mikel Arteta. The midfielder has been thoroughly impressed by Arteta’s methods, describing them as unlike anything he has experienced in his career. “It’s something that is amazing, to be honest with you,” Merino said about training under Arteta. “They do some things that I have never seen in my career. The methods they use are completely new to me, so obviously it takes some time to adapt.”

Merino also echoed sentiments shared by his teammate Declan Rice, who previously remarked that working with Arteta had opened his eyes to a new way of watching football. “There is no rest between one moment and the other. They are always challenging you mentally with different stimuli. It makes you always aware of what is happening around you,” Merino noted. “When you get it, you are on a different level because they challenge you every single day – not only physically, but mentally.”

Now that he has made his debut, Merino is determined to secure a starting spot, with Arsenal’s next match against Southampton on Saturday. Having helped Spain to win Euro 2024 over the summer, he is hungry for more silverware and sees Arsenal as the perfect environment to take his game to new heights. “Winning trophies is the main thing here for everybody. They are obsessed with that,” he said. “When I spoke to Mikel and saw the plan, not just for me but for the whole team, I felt this was the right place to take the next step in my career.”

Merino is eager to contribute to Arsenal’s success, motivated by the club’s focus on the details and a winning mentality that permeates every level of the organization. “I want to grow up, I want to learn even more – and I think this is the right place to keep improving and keep winning,” he added. With Arteta at the helm and a clear vision for the future, Merino is confident that brighter days lie ahead at the Emirates.