Pablo Mari says he and his family are "fine" and the on-loan Monza defender expressed his gratitude for the support he has received after being stabbed on Thursday.

The Spaniard, who joined Monza from Arsenal on a season-long deal in August, is expected to be out of action for at least two months after undergoing back surgery following the horrific attack in a supermarket near Milan.

One person died and a suspect was arrested after being disarmed, with former Napoli footballer Massimo Tarantino named as being among those who stopped the assault.

Mari stated on Friday that he felt lucky to be alive before posting a picture of himself and his wife giving the thumbs up in hospital on Instagram.

The 29-year-old 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.

"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, and we sincerely wish that all injured people recover as soon as possible."

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