Pablo Mari, a 29-year-old defender for Arsenal, was hospitalized in Italy on Friday after being stabbed on Thursday, though it is not believed that his wounds are serious.
According to reports in Italy, Mari, who is on loan from Arsenal to Monza, was one of five people who were stabbed on Thursday during an incident in a Milan shopping center. According to reports, one person was killed.
Arsenal confirmed the incident in a statement, but added that Mari’s injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
“We are all shocked to hear the dreadful news about the stabbing in Italy, which has put a number of people in hospital including our on-loan centre-back Pablo Mari,” the statement read.
“We have been in contact with Pablo’s agent who has told us he’s in hospital and is not seriously hurt.
“Our thoughts are with Pablo and the other victims of this dreadful incident.”
Speaking soon after Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands on Thursday, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was asked about Mari’s condition.
“I just found out — I know [Arsenal technical director] Edu’s been in touch with his relatives,” he said.
“He’s in hospital and seems to be OK, but I’ll have a briefing now about the situation in what happened. We’ll be in touch with him and hopefully he’s OK.”
Monza chief executive Adriano Galliani shared further details about the incident.
“Pablo Mari had a fairly deep wound on his back, which fortunately did not touch vital organs such as the lungs or other,” Sky Italy quoted him as saying. “His life is not in danger, he should recover quickly.”
Mari joined the Serie A side on loan from Arsenal in the off season. He joined the Premier League club in 2020 from Flamengo.
Police arrested a 46-year-old Italian man suspected in the attack, the news agency LaPresse reported.
A supermarket employee died en route to the hospital, according to the ANSA news agency.
The motive for the attacks was unknown. Italian authorities said there were no elements to suggest terrorism, LaPresse reported.