Pablo Mari discharged from hospital as Arsenal players pay tribute

Pablo Mari has been discharged from hospital after the Arsenal defender was injured in a supermarket stabbing in Milan.

The 29-year-old, who is currently on a season-long loan at Monza, underwent surgery to reconstruct damaged back muscles, but the Serie A club confirmed on Sunday that Mari has now returned home.

He was one of five victims of a knife attack in a Carrefour supermarket in Assago, on the outskirts of Milan, on Thursday evening.

The chairman and chief executive of the Carrefour chain said one employee died from their injuries, while a sixth person was treated for shock.

Monza said in a statement that Mari will undergo a period of “absolute rest”.

It added: “AC Monza sincerely thanks Professor Osvaldo Chiara and all the professionals of the Trauma Center of the Niguarda Hospital in Milan.”

Arsenal players paid tribute to their team-mate after opening the scoring against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with goalscorer Gabriel Martinelli and skipper Granit Xhaka holding up Mari’s shirt in tribute.

The Spanish defender thanked well-wishers on social media on Friday, posting a picture of himself in a hospital bed alongside his wife.

He wrote: “After the hard moment we experienced yesterday, both my family and I want to communicate that fortunately we are all fine despite the circumstances, and we want to say thanks for all the messages of support and affection that we are receiving.”

A Monza statement published on Friday suggested Mari would be out of action for around two months.