Mikel Merino Arsenal injury latest as Mikel Arteta finally close to dream midfield trio

The latest Arsenal news as the head coach has given the latest on the injury front ahead of the weekend's Premier League encounter with Leicester City.

Arsenal summer signing Mikel Merino is closing in on a return to action, but Saturday’s game against Leicester City will come too soon for the midfielder.

The Spaniard has been forced to wait to make his debut for the club following his summer move from Real Sociedad. He picked up a shoulder injury in one of his early training sessions with his new teammates.

The original diagnosis for the injury was a six-week absence. It is now approaching that timeline, and it seems that the player is on schedule. Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Leicester, Mikel Arteta said: “Tomorrow is too soon. Next week we’ll see.

“He had partial training today. It's looking good It’s about the healing of the bone and how mature that is to expose him to contact basically."

When asked what the midfielder will bring to the team upon his return, Arteta added: “He’s gonna bring first an unbelievable football brain. He’s so intelligent, how he decides and occupies space.”

Merino will be joined by club captain Martin Odegaard on the sidelines. The Norway international suffered a twisted ankle while on international duty. Once the duo return, they are likely to line up alongside Declan Rice to form the midfield trio that Arteta has been waiting for.

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola confirms Man City injury nightmare outcome to give Arsenal huge title boost

READ MORE: Mikel Arteta delivers brutal one-word Arsenal response to Roy Keane over Man City comments

Goalkeeper David Raya will be assessed ahead of the game to see if he can make a recovery in time to feature. If he is not fit, then Neto is expected to make his debut for the club in goal, after being cup-tied against Bolton.

Leandro Trossard also missed that game through suspension but is expected to be available. As are Jurrien Timber and Ben White, who have both recovered from injury.

Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel

Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!

By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.

To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!

If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.