This international break, Mikel Merino was one player we Gooners were excited to see play. Regrettably, the delay in his transfer to Arsenal until the final days of the summer transfer window prevented him from having a thorough pre-season, and shortly after his signing, he sustained a shoulder injury.
As much as some of us Gooners were against some of our players playing during the international break, as it continues to take our players, Merino was one we really desired to play.
Well, the midfielder came on as a second-half substitute for Barcelona’s Pedri in the 62nd minute of Spain’s 1-0 Nations League victory over Denmark on Saturday. Mikel Merino played for about 35 minutes against Denmark, making 24 touches, making 17 passes, and winning five duels. He had plenty of time on the ball. These minutes were critical for Arsenal since they would get him back up to speed after missing so much time; prior to his debut in the 2-0 win over PSG, he had not played since the European Championships.
Certainly, game time with Spain during this international should prepare him for action against Bournemouth. With Martin Odegaard anticipated to be out for an extended period of time, Mikel Merino and the other Gunner midfielders need to step up and perform in his absence. What do you think?
Daniel O
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