Mikel Merino celebrates with Martin Zubimendi in Arsenal’s pre-season friendly vs Newcastle (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
Arsenal expert Charles Watts has heaped praise into Mikel Merino for his superb performance in Spain’s thumping victory over Turkey.
The 29-year-old scored a hat-trick for his country, showing that he’s an underrated talent who surely deserves more playing time at Arsenal.
Still, Watts, writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, stated that Merino probably won’t have a regular role in Mikel Arteta’s side.
Merino has played in both midfield and as a makeshift striker during his time with the Gunners, and Watts feels it’s probably the latter that would represent the best fit for him.
Although Merino has mostly played in midfield throughout his career, Watts doesn’t quite see him as being the right fit for how Arteta tends to play.
Can Mikel Merino play more for Arsenal after Spain success?
Discussing Merino’s role at Arsenal, Watts said: “Several Arsenal players have caught the eye during the international break, but none more so than Mikel Merino.
Mikel Merino in action for Arsenal (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
“What an exceptional hat-trick that was for Spain in their 6-0 win in Turkey. All of the finishes were excellent and perfectly showcased his impressive ability to find the net when he’s in and around the penalty area.”
He added: “I do think he is an underrated player and he gets a lot of unfair criticism. A lot of people wrongly view him as a defensive player and we saw that in the reaction to his inclusion in the starting XI at Anfield before the international break.
“Like others, I would have preferred to have seen someone like Eberechi Eze start that day against Liverpool. Playing Merino with Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi did feel like the conservative option in terms of creativity from midfield, but there is no doubt he offers a serious goal threat. He’s just very composed when he gets a sniff of a chance.
“I think the biggest issue with him when it comes to Arsenal is it’s still not really clear exactly what type of player he is when it comes to the system Mikel Arteta…..
