Arsenal star feared he'd 'never play football again' after injury

Credit: Getty Images

Mikel Merino has revealed that the injury which disrupted his last campaign left him confronting the possibility that his football career might be over.

The Spain international spent a considerable spell on the sidelines before returning just a few weeks ahead of the national team squad being named for the 2026 World Cup. He featured only sparingly for Arsenal during the closing weeks of the season.

His inclusion in Spain's squad raised eyebrows among some supporters given how little football he had played, but the national team manager stuck with a player he has worked with successfully in the past. Merino went on to play an important role for Spain at the tournament.

Merino on the uncertainty of his recovery

Speaking about the mental side of his rehabilitation, Merino described the period as one that reshaped how he views both his career and his life away from football.

Merino said, via Sport Witness: "There's going to be a moment when you'll have to fight against the uncertainty of not knowing if you'll ever play football again."

He added: "It taught me how to deal with frustration. That opened my eyes, made me accept that I'm not just a footballer and that there's much more to life."

The length of the lay-off meant there was no guaranteed timeline attached to his return, and he had to work his way back into contention before the World Cup squad was finalised.

What he offers Arsenal this season

Merino's value to Mikel Arteta has always been tied to his flexibility. He has been deployed both as a central midfielder and further forward, and that ability to cover multiple areas of the pitch gives the Arsenal manager options he does not have with every squad member.

That versatility also means his absence is felt in more than one department. When Merino is unavailable, Arteta loses not just a midfield body but an alternative solution in the final third — a dual function that few players in the squad can replicate.

Having come through the World Cup and re-established himself with Spain, the 30-year-old now turns his attention to the Premier League campaign with Arsenal, where the priority will be stringing together a sustained run of fitness after the disruption of the previous season.

The club will be conscious of managing his workload. Players returning from long-term absences are typically eased back in, and with Arsenal competing on multiple fronts, the temptation to lean heavily on a player of Merino's profile is obvious.

For his part, Merino appears to have emerged from the experience with a broader perspective. His comments suggest a player who has reassessed what football represents in his life, rather than one simply relieved to be back on the pitch.

Arsenal will hope that renewed outlook translates into a full, uninterrupted season from one of the more adaptable members of Arteta's squad.