Injured Arsenal star in hospital bed post as Declan Rice shares message

Crocked Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has shared an update to fans after undergoing surgery on a foot injury. The Gunners star also received an instant message of support from team-mate Declan Rice .

The Spaniard suffered his foot injury at the end of the 3-2 defeat against Manchester United . It is reported by football.london that the procedure will see him sidelined for the majority of the remainder of the season.

The hope is the midfielder could make a comeback by May. He will, however, be unable to put serious weight on the foot for around eight weeks – although in that time he will be able to do some gym work.

Posting a picture on his Instagram page of himself from a hospital bed off the back of his surgery, the Gunners player wrote: "Surgery done! Already closer to be back.

"Thank you so much to everyone for your messages and love. It really gives me even more energy to face the challenge. Vamos!"

Rice responded in the comments section with a message reading: "With you brother," along with a red heart emoji.

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed the injury blow in a press conference ahead of last weekend's win over Sunderland . When asked if he would be able to play before the end of the season, he said: “Well, we hope so.

“I don't know. Obviously, he needs to go through a procedure, which is never always positive. He's a big player for us.

“An athlete that has such a versatility and capacity to compete in various positions. Yeah, that's a big blow.”

He added: “Let's see. It's a very rare injury, so we have to wait and see once we have the surgery. How that reacts daily.

“Obviously, monitor it throughout the week for the surgery. I know Mikel is going to do absolutely everything that he possibly can to come back as quick as possible.

“But, as well, he has to respect the healing process and the fact that, obviously, it's an injury that is quite rare.”

Merino has been a key player for Arsenal since arriving at the club. So far this season he has made 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and providing a further three assists.