“I know Odegaard did we yesterday but that guy did perfectly better than him and deserved the Man of the Match award not Odegaard”: Arsenal sudden striker Mikel Merino names ONE Arsenal’s player who deserved the Man of the Match award against PSV Eindhoven yesterday
Mikel Merino scored his third goal as a striker for Arsenal in their incredible 7-1 win over PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.
Merino has now appeared as a number nine for Gunners on four occasions, yielding a total of three goals.
The Arsenal midfielder clearly isn’t a natural as a striker, but he’s slowly becoming better at holding up the ball, in addition to timing his runs into the box – something he was already used to as a number eight.
Of course, the Spaniard is being helped by the excellent work of Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri on the wing either side of him – Mikel Arteta’s only fit wingers besides Raheem Sterling.
And in Tuesday’s spectacular win, it was once again Nwaneri who grabbed most of the headlines.
Mikel Merino praises Ethan Nwaneri for his unseen work off of the pitch
That being said, Merino joked that he was sick and tired of speaking about Nwaneri’s blossoming talent when questioned shortly after full-time in Eindhoven.
Merino was speaking via Hayters TV and was ultimately more than happy to talk about his young English teammate, who he praised for his efforts behind the scenes, as well as in front of the cameras on the pitch.
Asked about Nwaneri, Merino jovially replied: “Again? Come on, come on, we all know he’s so good – nah I’m joking.
“He’s an unbelievable player, I’ve been saying it for a long time now, every time I come here you guys ask me for him.
“But I won’t get tired of talking about him because he deserves it, it’s not only about his age and about how good he is on the pitch, but it’s also about his will, the intensity he puts into every single training day – the way he faces every game with the maturity he has.
“Also, the will to learn, he’s not 17-years-old and playing in the Premier League and Champions League and thinking he has already learnt everything.
“So he’s always willing to listen to the older guys, listen to the boss, and that’s credit for him.”
Declan Rice shares his bold prediction about Ethan Nwaneri
Interestingly, Declan Rice also had a lot to say about Arsenal’s latest Hale End success story himself shortly after the Gunners’ 7-1 win over PSV was concluded.
Rice backed Nwaneri to keep playing once Bukayo Saka is fit – perhaps suggesting that the 17-year-old might even move into a more central position.
Wayne Rooney also loved Nwaneri’s display against PSV, a youngster who can’t stop being praised right now.
Of course, Arteta does have an important job of keeping Nwaneri’s feet on the ground right now.
But judging by Merino’s comments about the youngster’s mentality, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
