Arsenal’s on-loan defender Pablo Mari was spotted at the Stadio Brianteo, watching his club Monza defeated Serie A rival Verona after he was stabbed in a Milan supermarket.
The 29-year-old Spaniard was spotted sitting comfortably in the stands, wearing a sling while watching Monza defeated Serie A strugglers Verona 2-0 on Sunday, November 6.
The Arsenal on-loan defender was stabbed with a knife in the back and rushed to the hospital following a horrible incident that saw five people injured and left a cashier dead after an Italian assaulter, Andrea Tombolini went on a rampage in a Carrerfour supermarket.
Mari underwent surgery the next day to repair his injured muscles before he was discharged from the hospital following his quick recovery.
Speaking after the attack, the 29-year-old Spanish defender said he is lucky to be alive after sustaining a muscle injury and watching someone die in the vicious attack.
Pablo Mari said: “This type of muscle injury usually requires two months of rest before one can resume physical activities.”
Describing the unexpected attack, Mari added: “I was with the trolley with my child inside and I felt an excruciating pain in my back.
“Then that man stabbed another in the throat. Today I had luck, because I saw a person die in front of me.”
The 29-year-old Spain national team center-back is expected to recover fully and be back to football action in the next two months but he still managed to attend his side’s victory on Sunday to greet the Monza fans.
The Arsenal on-loan player was seen waving his left hand in a sling at the crowd, and also shaking hands with the head coach Raffaele Palladino before hugging his teammates.
Mari’s teammates at Monza joined the Gunners to show the star defender their support as they held up his jersey with the inscription of support for their injured colleague while Mari was in the hospital.
After joining the Gunners in the summer of 2020, the former Manchester City center-back featured in just 12 Premier League games for Arsenal before he was sent off on loan to Udinese where he spent the rest of last season.
Mari returned to Arsenal this summer before he was again loaned out to his current club Monza where he has played eight Serie A matches and netted his first goal for the club in their victory against Spezia in October.
❤️ @PabloMV5 ❤️@ACMonza #MonzaVerona pic.twitter.com/iYr8hCbSyL
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) November 6, 2022
When will Pablo Mari be back in action?
Even though Mari told the Monza chiefs after he survived the attack that he would like to return to football action as soon as possible, the club insisted that he will not be selected until they are assured that he is completely fit to play.
According to a statement released by the club, it was revealed that the surgery to repair the damaged muscle went well and it would take about two months before Mari can kick football for the Lombardy club, Monza.
The statement read: “The surgery went well and a hospital stay of two or three days is expected. After the resignation, the player will be able to start a rehabilitation process.”
“This type of muscle injury usually requires two months of rest before you can resume physical activities.”
