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WELCOME BACK
Pablo Mari watches Monza clash from stands in a sling after Arsenal star was stabbed in horrific Milan knife attack
PABLO MARI was welcomed back at Monza after being stabbed in a random attack last week.
The on-loan Arsenal star was stabbed in the back and airlifted to hospital following the incident in Milan, Italy.
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Mari underwent surgery the following day and is now recovering from his injuries.
The centre-back is expected to be out for around two months but he was fit enough to greet the Monza crowd on Sunday ahead of their Serie A match against Verona.
Mari had his left arm in a sling but he was able to wave at his fans while also shaking hands with manager Raffaele Palladino.
He later removed his sling before walking onto the pitch where he hugged his team-mates.
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Mari then blew kisses to the crowd and thanked them for the support by bowing down to them.
The Spaniard also received support from his Arsenal team-mates last week as they held up his shirt ahead of their game against Nottingham Forest, and after scoring their first goal in that match.
Speaking after the attack Mari revealed he is lucky to be alive after sustaining a muscle injury, as he saw someone lose their life.
He said: “This type of muscle injury usually requires two months of rest before one can resume physical activities.”
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Describing the 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.”
A former footballer, Massimo Tarantino, stepped in to defend Mari during the attack, in which one person was killed and five were injured in a supermarket on the outskirts of Milan.
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