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Mikel Merino has revealed his desperation to return from injury as Arsenal chase silverware on two fronts, with the Spanish midfielder still playing a crucial leadership role despite being sidelined since early February.
The 29-year-old suffered a stress fracture in his right foot requiring surgery and has been forced to exercise extreme patience in his recovery, still wearing a protective boot as recently as late March.
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**“It’s very hard when you’re not even training”**
Speaking exclusively to Arseblog and ArsenalVision Podcast, Merino outlined the mental challenge of his extended absence from the pitch.
“It’s hard when you’re not even training. When you don’t smell the grass, you don’t feel as a footballer anymore. And that’s what you’re born to do, play football,” he explained.
“My injury is one that you have to be very careful with. So we just \[go\] step by step. Listening to my body is the main thing, listening to it and see if we’re going at the right pace or we can maybe go faster.”
The Spain international established himself as a key player for Mikel Arteta around this time last year, particularly excelling as an auxiliary striker during Kai Havertz’s absence. His purple patch in front of goal transformed his Arsenal career after a difficult start in north London.
**Leadership from the sidelines**
Despite his injury setback, Merino was voted into the team’s leadership group this summer and captained Arsenal in three cup games. He continues to take that responsibility seriously even while injured.
“There’s always a role for you. It doesn’t matter the amount of minutes that you’ve played, if you’re fit, if you’re injured; football is a collective effort and a collective sport, and you have to think about the team first,” Merino said.
“I’m trying to fulfil my role at this time the best way possible, chatting to my teammates, trying to be there in every meeting, give them my advice, give them my little tips that I’ve been carrying around for my whole career.”
With Arsenal having returned to the top of the Premier League following Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle, Merino believes the squad is handling the pressure exceptionally well.
“The team is very confident. During a long, long season, you’re going to have ups and downs and you just have to cope with them. The one that copes with them the best is the one that is going to get the trophy at the end,” he stated.
“We have the opportunity of winning two massive trophies for the club and for us as players as well. So yeah, we’re full of motivation, full of energy and \[with\] only a couple of games to go we’re ready to make history.”
Whether Merino returns in time to contribute on the pitch remains uncertain, but his leadership presence continues to benefit Arsenal’s title and Champions League ambitions during the crucial final weeks of the campaign.