One Arsenal star faces a race against timeplaceholder image
One Arsenal star faces a race against time | Getty Images
One Arsenal star faces a real race against time to make it back for the World Cup this summer.
Concerns are growing around an Arsenal star and the possibility that he will miss the World Cup this summer. The Gunners have had their fair share of injuries again this season, but this time they managed to build a squad with enough depth to cope with such absences.
Last season was a very different story, but sporting director Andrea Berta was handed the budget and resources to fill those gaps coming into the current campaign.
One of the more disappointed injury absences this season has been the loss of Mikel Merino to injury for the rest of the season. The Spaniard picked up a foot fracture and required a surgery to fix it, and while there is no fixed timeline for his concern, it’s expected he will be out until after the season finishes in May.
For a player who is vital for his national team, Spain, who he helped to the European Championship title two years ago, the question for those in the Iberian country now is whether he will be available for this summer’s World Cup, and there are concerns he won’t be.
Diario de Noticias report that Merino still can’t put any weight on his foot after his surgery and that he has now been given 10 days off by Arsenal. Merino has been granted the time off to go back home to Pamplona as he continues his recovery.
The authorised absence is a sensible move, given the body tends to gain an advantage in recovery when a person is relaxed and mentally at ease. Merino has a tough recovery period ahead of him that will involve intense rehab work if he is going to make the World Cup.
Now sems like a good time for him to get a mental reset, and he is making the most of it, having been spotted around the city and at a local game in recent days. And there is little doubt that Merino will be doing some of his early rehab work in Spain, with regular small exercises likely ongoing as he looks to first get back to a stage of weight-bearing.
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