New Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino is expected to miss the next two months as a result of the fractured shoulder he suffered in his first training session.

The Gunners struck a deal worth up to £31.6m for 28-year-old Merino but were rocked on the eve of his potential debut with the revelation that a nasty fall in training had seen the midfielder injure his shoulder.

Now, the Daily Mail state Merino is set to spend the next two months on the sidelines and is not expected to return to action until after the October international break.

Merino himself had previously admitted he did not know how long he would be out of action after the training-ground collision with Gabriel Magalhaes, which manager Mikel Arteta revealed had left him in “so much pain”.

“He had the incident and he carried on playing – and training,” Arteta continued. “And at some point we were looking at him and thought he did not look right. That shows you how much he wanted it and he did not want to accept that was happening in that moment. But actually, that is what happened.”

It’s a long-term concern for Arsenal but there are more immediate issues to deal with as Declan Rice will now serve a one-game ban as a result of his controversial sending off in the draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.

After Fabio Vieira’s loan to Porto, Arsenal now have just three available senior midfielders: Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Martin Odegaard. Kai Havertz, who has been excelling as a striker in recent months, began his Arsenal career in midfield and could drop back to help out if needed.

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