Mikel Merino to undergo surgery as Arsenal and Spain sweat over return date

Arsenal and Spain are sweating over the return date of Mikel Merino who will undergo surgery on a fractured foot on Monday

Mikel Merino will undergo surgery today on a foot injury which the Spain international suffered at the end of the 3-2 defeat by Manchester United. football.london understands that the procedure is set to sideline to midfielder for the majority of the season with a hope to return at the end of the campaign.

The rehabilitation process is expected to prevent Merino from putting strenuous weight through the foot for around eight weeks, although this will not prevent him from doing gym work.

But the hope is that he will be looking to be running towards the end of April. He will then work his way back into the squad’s training activities with a hope to return to action before the end of the season in May.

Mikel Arteta confirmed the injury and fracture in a press conference ahead of the win over Sunderland. When asked whether Merino would be back before the end of the season he said: “Well, we hope so.

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“I don't know. Obviously, he needs to go through a procedure, which is never always positive. He's a big player for us.

“An athlete that has such a versatility and capacity to compete in various positions. Yeah, that's a big blow.”

Adding: “Let's see. It's a very rare injury, so we have to wait and see once we have the surgery. How that reacts daily.

“Obviously, monitor it throughout the week for the surgery. I know Mikel is going to do absolutely everything that he possibly can to come back as quick as possible.

“But, as well, he has to respect the healing process and the fact that, obviously, it's an injury that is quite rare.”

Naturally, the biggest concern is for the Spain national team whom Merino has been an integral piece of their starting eleven. Starting their six World Cup qualifiers and scoring six times from an advanced midfield role, while also providing an assist too.

This included a hat-trick against Turkey in a 6-0 win and Merino has become a cornerstone of Luis de la Fuente’s plans. Without him, Spain are much worse off and there will be worries that even if he returns before the end of the season for Arsenal whether he can be ready and fully fit for the competition in North America.