Former players Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have heaped praise on Mikel Merino for the impact he had as an Arsenal striker in the win over Leicester City in the Premier League.
The Spaniard played the role of the hero for the Gunners in what was otherwise a relatively drab game of football.
With the match drifting towards a goalless draw, Mikel Merino came from the bench to make an almost immediate impact.
The midfielder was deployed as a striker, following Kai Havertz’s injury, due to the lack of centre-forward options left available.
While it may have seemed a radical move from Mikel Arteta, Merino repaid that faith by latching onto two tempting crosses – the first from Ethan Nwaneri and the second from Leandro Trossard – to score a quickfire brace.
That double helped Arsenal land an important win, while also pointing towards the potential new look of the forward line.
- READ MORE: Arsenal receive green light on Martin Zubimendi transfer as Real Madrid eye potential deal hijack
Gary Lineker and Micah Richards praise Mikel Merino’s Arsenal impact
Merino’s brace helped Arsenal land a win in their first match back since the trip to Dubai, which they hope can kickstart a run of form in the Premier League.
It may also point towards a position for the Spaniard to make an impact within the team, with the striker role now vacant.
Following the game, both Micah Richards and Gary Lineker gave plaudits to the midfielder for the two goals he scored.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, Richards said: “We’ve got to give a shoutout to Merino. Comes on, like you said never played up front but it just shows you, doesn’t it?
“You talk about it the most and probably the best, it’s just movement, isn’t it? It’s movement, finding the right timing.
“If you’re not fast and strong but you can have the football IQ to know where the space is going to be and he ran into the space brilliantly well.”
Lineker, who scored plenty of goals in his career, chimed in with: “That’s it, you don’t follow the ball, you gamble on where the ball might go and if you attack that space, nine times out of ten it doesn’t go there.
“But when it does, you’ve got a real chance.”
In an age where football is less about positions and more about fluidity and skillsets, it shows that Arsenal may not need a centre-forward to get the goals they need to win the Premier League title.
Mikel Merino’s goal-scoring record
With his double over the weekend, Merino doubled his tally since joining Arsenal from Real Sociedad in the summer – taking it to four goals in the Premier League.
In his career though, he hasn’t been a particularly prolific scorer, but has shown glimpses of his ability in front of goal.
| Appearances | 370 |
| Goals | 40 |
| Assists | 37 |
He will be looking to add even more to his record over the coming weeks, with some big games coming up.
The Premier League and Champions League await for the midfielder, who will be asked to feature as a striker at times.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
