Mikel Merino
Arsenal’s Mikel Merino remains hopeful to soon regain fitness and make it to the World Cup with Spain.
The midfielder last made an appearance in Arsenal’s 3-2 Premier League defeat to Manchester United in January. He scored his side’s second goal at the Emirates.
Merino underwent foot surgery and has been on the sidelines since then. Prior to going under the knife, Mikel Arteta said it’s a “very rare injury” and was unsure of his return.
The Gunners also haven’t made a clear communication on when the Spain international could be back in action.
On February 4th, Arsenal midfielder Martín Zubimendi said he’s unsure of his compatriot’s involvement at the World Cup. He said the 29-year-old had gone through a painful period, but there optimism for the summer.
On Friday, Sport Witness covered claims from Spain that his injury situation is causing more concerns for the national team when compared to other injured players.
Arsenal player’s camp maintain hope
Thursday’s edition of AS has another report on those La Roja players who are currently not part of Luis de la Fuente’s squad for this international break and their chances of making it to the World Cup.
The focus is on Arsenal’s Mikel Merino, Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal and Paris Saint-Germain’s Fabián Ruiz.
Carvajal has been featuring regularly in recent weeks but his chances of making it to the World Cup depend on the level he shows until the end of the season.
PSG expect Ruiz to return to the pitch next month.
It’s ‘too early’ to know whether Merino will be available for the summer’s FIFA tournament.
However, sources close to the Arsenal player have informed the newspaper that he will be ready for the World Cup. In short, there’s expectation for the versatile star to be fit soon. This is good news for Mikel Arteta and the north London club.
Merino has played 1,877 minutes from 33 matches, managing six goals and three assists.
Gunners’ current injury list
Mikel Merino
Martin Ødegaard
William Saliba
Gabriel Magalhães
Jurriën Timber
Leandro Trossard
Eberechi Eze
🇩🇪 EXCLUSIVE: Castello Lukeba ‼️
➡️ Source confirms to @Kaus_Pandey17 that Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United interested
➕ Defender tempted by move to Premier League
➡️ Summer decision will depend on project offeredhttps://t.co/2VZ2ljcDv7 #afc #lfc #afc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 25, 2026