Arsenal defender, Pablo Mari, will undergo surgery on his back on Friday after he was stabbed in a supermarket attack in Milan, Italy.

Mari, who is understood to be conscious and not in a serious condition, was among six people attacked at a shopping centre in the Italian city on Thursday.

The 29-year-old defender, currently on a season-long loan at Monza, is now recovering in the Niguarda hospital, with local reports claiming one of six victims – said to be an employee of the supermarket – died in the attack.

“Today I was lucky, because I saw a person die in front of me,” Mari said.

It was gathered that the defender was walking with his wife and son, who was in a trolley, in the shop in Assago near Milan when he felt a pain in his back before seeing the attacker, later identified as a 46-year-old man and arrested by police, stabbed another person in the throat.

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After spending the night in hospital, Mari will undergo surgery on damaged muscles on Friday.

“I know [club technical director] Edu has been in touch with his relatives. He is in hospital. He seems to be ok. I will get a briefing now about what happened,” Arsenal manager, Mike Arteta, said after Thursday’s 2-0 defeat at PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League.

Speaking via a statement issued on Thursday night, Arsenal said: “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.

“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.”

The Star