Mikel Merino opens up about fear and challenges after five-month injury

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has spoken openly about the rare injury that put his career at risk and the psychological challenges of a five-month layoff. After undergoing surgery for a rare foot fracture and returning to team training, the Spanish player expressed his gratitude for his teammates' support. This is reported by Goal.com reports .

The 29-year-old skilled player was sidelined following a match against Manchester United in January. In that game, he came off the bench to score a goal, but unexpectedly suffered a severe foot injury. The complex fracture required immediate surgery and a long rehabilitation process, halting his successful season where he had recorded 4 goals and 3 assists in 21 matches.

Merino admitted he was terrified by the injury, which even specialists had not encountered before. "It was a fracture in a very strange part of my foot that even the specialists hadn't seen before. At first, I was very scared because this hadn't been observed in other players. We didn't know how I would recover or if I would be able to play football again," the player said in an interview with the club's official channel.

Knowing he would miss the World Cup and the decisive part of the season due to the injury, Merino did not hide his depression. "I had two choices: to get depressed and cry or to keep my head up and continue working with a positive attitude. I chose the second path and decided to approach life that way," he added.

Merino, who said he felt like a child going to school for the first time on the day he returned to training, expressed his satisfaction with the atmosphere at Arsenal. According to him, the affection of his teammates and the trust of the club's management helped him return to action much faster.