1 Just 17 days after being released from a rehabilitation clinic, Arsenal striker Paul Merson was cleared to play in Wednesday night's Super Cup match against AC Milan.
2 The decision was announced by the Football Association following a phone call from Arsenal manager George Graham, who lobbied for Merson to be allowed to play.
3 'We need Paul Merson back,' Graham said earlier. 'We need his quality and thought.'
4 Merson, a former England striker, said he was ready to return for his first game since Oct. 26.
5 'I feel good and I believe I can be like a new signing for the club,' he said. 'I'm a completely different person to the one that went into the addiction clinic.'
6 Merson disclosed in a newspaper interview late last year that he had been addicted to alcohol, cocaine and gambling. The FA ordered him to get treatment and he spent six weeks in a clinic.
7 Since his release, Merson has been training with Arsenal and waiting for the FA's authorization to play again.
8 Wednesday night's match pits the winners of last year's Champions Cup and the Cup Winners Cup.

" I feel good and I believe I can be like a new signing for the club , " he said . " I ' m a completely different person to the one that went into the addiction clinic . "
addiction clinic
What kind of addiction was this?