Monza's Palladino hails 'miracle' after Mari discharged from hospital

The 29-year-old Spanish defender, who was loaned to Serie A side Monza this summer, was discharged from Milan's Niguarda hospital on Sunday following surgery on Friday for back wounds suffered while shopping with his wife and son the previous evening.

Monza said that Mari "has returned home and will now begin a period of complete rest" after suffering his injuries in an attack in which one man was killed.

"It's been a bad and good week," Palladino told reporters over the weekend.

"What happened to Pablo was a miracle, in that he wasn't badly hurt. We're aware that it could have been a lot worse than it was."

Monza chief executive Adriano Galliani had asked that Monday's match with Bologna be postponed but the fixture will be played and Palladino's team will wear a special shirt with the message: "Come back soon Pablo".

Palladino added: "Our job is to go out on the pitch and play, and give everything, above all for Pablo and what happened to him."

Mari was one of several people attacked in a Carrefour in Assago, on the outskirts of Milan in northern Italy, by a man apparently suffering from psychological problems who killed an employee from the supermarket after grabbing a knife from a shelf.

Four other people were hurt by a 46-year-old Italian who was arrested by police, shortly after being disarmed by former Napoli and Inter Milan defender Massimo Tarantino.

Brazil international Gabriel Martinelli held up Mari's Arsenal shirt after scoring the opening goal for the Gunners in Sunday's 5-0 hammering of Nottingham Forest.