The father of Arsenal defender Pablo Mari has delivered a positive update after he was a victim of a stabbing attack in Italy.

Mari, 29, was one of six people to be stabbed in the frenzied attack near Milan on Thursday. All of the victims were taken to hospital and one man sadly passed away. Mari was stabbed in the back.

The central defender's father has confirmed to Cadena Cope that on Thursday night he spoke to his son, who told them he was "fine" and that he "loved them very much."

His father added: "These have been very worrying hours for us. They started calling me at 8pm and my heart has skipped a beat." However, he subsequently confirmed that being able to speak to his son has eased his fears.

He continued: "Veronica (the footballer's partner) has not told us how it happened, but she has told us that she has seen a person die in front of her. She has reassured us confirming that they are fine and that everything has been a fright for them."

Mari, who is on-loan with Monza, will spend the night in hospital where he will continue to undergo observation from medics and he is expected to undergo surgery on Friday to reduce muscle damage to his back.

A Monza statement read: "Pablo Mari has quite a deep cut to his back, but fortunately it did not reach any vital organs like the lungs or anything else. His life is not in danger, he should recover quickly. He has some lesions, but not very serious. He is conscious and getting stitches."