Mikel Arteta is hopeful Arsenal will recover Mikel Merino before the end of the season but is not certain that will come to pass, leaving the midfielder's hopes of representing Spain at the World Cup in doubt.
Merino sustained an injury to his right foot during the latter stages of Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on January 26, and it was announced on Sunday that he needs surgery.
Merino has made 33 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions this term, scoring six goals in all competitions, the most among midfielders at the club.
His versatility has proven crucial to the Gunners' quadruple chase – they currently lead the Premier League table by six points, hold a 3-2 advantage over Chelsea in their EFL Cup semi-final tie, and are among the favourites to win the Champions League and FA Cup.
But there are no guarantees that the former Real Sociedad midfielder will return before the end of the campaign, in a major blow to Arsenal's hopes.
Asked on Monday if Merino will play again this season, Arteta said: "We hope so. I don't know, he needs to go through a procedure, which is not always positive.
"He's a big player for us, a player that has such versatility and capacity to compete in various positions, and that's a big blow.
"For the team it's a blow, obviously, because he's a big player for us, a very important player for us and we're not going to have him until probably the end of the season."
Merino has also been important on the international stage, having won 41 senior caps for Spain and scored 10 goals – including an extra-time winner against Germany in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Asked if Merino would be available for the World Cup, which begins on June 11, Arteta replied: "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 and see.
"I know Mikel is going to do absolutely everything that he possibly can to come back as quick as possible.
"But you also have to respect the healing process, and also there's the fact that it's an injury that is quite rare."