'I could cry myself to extinction!' - Mikel Merino opens up on 'scary' five-month injury nightmare as Arsenal midfielder feared he might never play again

The 29-year-old maestro has been completely sidelined since Arsenal suffered a painful 3-2 defeat against Manchester United on January 25. During that fixture, Merino had come off the substitutes' bench to score before subsequently sustaining a bizarre and severe hairline fracture in his foot. The complex issue required immediate surgery and a gruelling rehabilitation programme, bringing a sudden halt to a campaign where he had registered four goals and three assists in 21 league matches.

Reflecting on the terrifying uncertainty surrounding his rare diagnosis and the subsequent emotional rollercoaster of his rehabilitation process, the European Championship winner detailed his immense initial anxiety.

Speaking to the club's official media channel, Merino said: "It was a stress fracture in a very strange part of the foot that not even the specialists had seen before. It was a weird one at the beginning, I was a little bit scared because we didn't have examples from other people who had the same injury, so we didn't know what to expect from it, what path to go through during the recovery and if I was going to be able to play again.

"It was very hard at the beginning. I was playing through pain for a little bit but I wasn't expecting that a big fracture was going to happen there. So when they said it would be around a five-month injury, I could only think about missing the World Cup and the last bit of the season with my team, and not being able to help them, so I was devastated at the time.

"It took me a couple of days to recover from it, but looking at it, I had two options: go down and cry myself to extinction or just keep my head up, be positive and try to use my time to improve other aspects. Working as hard as I can is the way I have to approach life."

Upon processing the initial shock, the technical midfielder deliberately rejected isolation during his lengthy spell in the treatment room, electing instead to immerse himself in the daily dynamics of the squad's historic title charge.

Emphasising the transformative power of the encouragement he received from the Arsenal hierarchy and his peers, Merino added: “This morning I woke up and I was feeling like it was the first day of school! Going there nervous, seeing all my teammates and being around them for the first time, it's just unbelievable to get all that love from them.

"My foot is great, I'm not even thinking about it anymore. I'm really pleased to be outside with the lads today. I've been training really hard, not only on the grass but also inside with the strength and conditioning team and the physios, trying to give everything every single day to be as close to perfection when I'm back with the team. I think I'm very good, I feel fit and I'm ready to go.”

Merino faces an immediate competitive battle to be match fit ahead of Arsenal's final domestic fixture away at Crystal Palace on Sunday. The midfielder's broader objective is to force his way into contention for the Champions League final the following week, even though the London derby serves as a celebratory trophy presentation. Proving his physical sharpness in training remains crucial if he is to realise his long-term dream of securing a spot in Spain's World Cup roster.