Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has revealed that he was involved in the training “accident” that led to Martin Zubimendi picking up an ankle injury.

The Spaniard was not available for the 3-0 win over Lille, having picked up the issue in the warm-down after the victory over Leeds at the weekend. Speaking about what happened, Merino said:

“He [Zubimendi] is fine, he had his ankle a little bit hurt due to an action with me, and if there is anyone that doesn’t want to hurt him, it’s me.”

“It was a freak accident in training but he’s fine, he is a bull and recovers quickly.”

Zubimendi might be back on Sunday

Merino’s words follow on from Mikel Arteta’s comments earlier this week, where he expressed optimism that the 27-year-old would be ready for games pretty soon.

The Gunners boss said he expects to have Zubimendi back in contention within days rather than weeks, and the player is already feeling “much, much better.” There is a possibility that he could be on the substitutes’ bench for the match against Nottingham Forest this weekend.

The same cannot be said for Piero Hincapie, who suffered an injury in the same warm-down. He is set to be sidelined for several weeks, with no exact timeframe having been given for his return to action.

There are doubts over the Arsenal star’s long-term future

Zubimendi may have started against Lille if he had been fit, but he has become a peripheral figure at the start of his second year at the Emirates.

Up until the incident last Saturday, the Spanish international had been fit since the campaign began back in late August, but he has only been named in the first eleven once. He started against Ipswich in the Carabao Cup last month.

It has prompted speculation about Zubimendi’s future, and reports suggest that Real Madrid may well make an approach for him in January.