Arsenal dealt unfortunate injury blow ahead of Brighton game

Ahead of Arsenal's game against Brighton, Mikel Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Mikel Merino is set to be absent through injury.

The Gunners boss revealed that his new signing picked up a shoulder injury in training and will be out for "a few weeks."

Arsenal fans will be bitterly disappointed with this news considering the impressive injury record Merino sustained prior to joining the club. The player himself will no doubt be frustrated that he will have to wait to make his debut for his new club.

Mikel Merino out for "a few weeks" with shoulder injury

While Mikel Arteta stated to the press that Mikel Merino is expected to be out for "a few weeks", there have been rumours that contradict this.

X (formerly Twitter) user and well-known Arsenal insider @Teamnewsandtix revealed that Merino will, in fact, be out for six to eight weeks due to his injury. Both Arteta and his side's fans will be massively disappointed if this ends up being true.

The exact cause of the injury was revealed by Arteta in his press conference. The Spaniard said via arsenal.com: “He was looking very good, he landed on the floor, Gabi went on top of him and it looks like he’s got a small fracture probably. He was in so much pain, so we have to wait and see with the staff to do some more tests to have more conclusive answers.”

Taking into account Arteta's description of the injury, it seems likely that Merino will be out for the lengthy period reported by Teamnewsandtix.

It is highly unlikely Merino would have started against Brighton but could have made his debut as a substitute. Arsenal fans will be pleased to have a two week break from club football following the showdown with the Seagulls, due to the international break, giving Merino time to get back to fitness.

Gooners will be hoping Merino can make a speedy recovery and be fit to face either Tottenham or Manchester City after the international break.

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