08:42
Wednesday | May 14
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Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has shared an update on his return to the Spain squad. The 28-year-old, who helped his nation win Euro 2024, missed the September international fixtures due to injury.

Merino injured his shoulder in training after making the £27.4million plus £4.2m in add-ons move to the Gunners from Real Sociedad in August. It meant the midfielder had to wait over a month to make his Arsenal debut, as he came on as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain last Tuesday.

He stepped up his return to full fitness with 29 minutes against Southampton on Saturday and has now joined up with his Spain teammates ahead of two Nations League matches. Luis de la Fuente's side face Denmark in Murcia this weekend before hosting Serbia in Cordoba next Tuesday.

Ahead of those matches, Merino spoke to the press and discussed his physical condition following his injury. "I'm feeling very good, I feel strong and I've put my injury behind me," he said. "I'm happy to be here with my team-mates after winning the title. I'm very happy to start a new adventure at club level and to continue with this team."

And now, Merino has shared four images on Instagram upon his return to action with Spain. The first image showed him training with the ball at his feet, while the second was Merino stood with his hands beside his side. The third photograph was one of Merino next to the RFEF sign and the fourth was him in the press conference.

Merino featured in every game for Spain en route to winning the European Championship in the summer. He scored an extra-time winner against Germany in the quarter-final and came on as a late substitute during the 2-1 win over England in the final. "Life changes quickly, this summer was one of the best of my life, both personally and collectively. It's not normal for so many things to happen in such a short period of time," Merino added.

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"I won the European Championships, I changed clubs and countries, I'm very happy’. After these statements, Mikel also spoke about his move to England and how happy he is with his new team: ‘Arsenal have a great project that caught my attention. The passion that all the people at the club put into it is incredible. They have values very similar to mine. I hope I can help them win titles."