Arsenal loanee Pablo Mari posts message from hospital bed after successful surgery on injured back, sending condolences to family of deceased in knife attack
Pablo Mari has spoken from his hospital bed following a knife attack that left him with stab wounds, insisting he is 'fine'.
The Arsenal defender, who is on loan at Italian outfit Monza, has had surgery on his back after being one of six people that were stabbed in a frenzied knife attack on Thursday.
Mari was shopping in a Carrefour supermarket on the outskirts of Milan, where a 46-year-old man went on a rampage, leaving one dead.
The Spanish centre-back underwent successful surgery to reconstruct two injured muscles on Friday after being airlifted to hospital.
And he has now taken to social media to issue a statement where he posted a snap of himself with his wife Veronica Chacon as he sent his condolences to the family of the deceased in the knife attack.
Captioning the photo on Instagram, he said: "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 thank all the messages of support and affection that we are receiving.
"In addition, we want to send our condolences and all our strength to the family and friends of the deceased person.
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"And we sincerely wish that all injured people recover as soon as possible."
Gunners ace Gabriel Magelhaes was quick to comment on the post, as he messaged: "We are praying for you brother! A great recovery."
Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar added: "Dear friend, my family and I are sending our best thoughts for a speedy recovery."
Former Arsenal shot-stopper Mat Ryan remarked: "Thankfully you’re OK bro."
Meanwhile, Emile Smith Rowe and Mohamed Elneny both posted love heart emojis.
Monza have revealed that Mari faces at least two months out on the sidelines as he recovers from his back operation.
Speaking to Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday night, Mari stated how he is ‘lucky’ to be alive after the terrifying ordeal.
Former Inter Milan and Napoli ace Massimo Tarantino apprehended the knifeman, where he turned the person over to the military.
Monza president Adriano Galliani has announced he has requested Monday’s Serie A match with Bologna to be postponed with the squad left in a state of shock.