Paul Merson says one Arsenal star has impressed him over the international break, it’s not Mikel Merino

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Paul Merson has revealed that he’s been impressed by an Arsenal player’s performances over the international break.

Arsenal had 17 players on international duty, the majority of whom were engaged in important World Cup qualifiers for their nations.

Several of these members of Mikel Arteta’s squad impressed, with many making key contributions which have propelled their country towards next summer’s tournament in North America.

Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick for Spain against Turkey, while Martin Odegaard scored and provided two assists for Norway in their rout of Moldova.

However, Merson has highlighted another Gunners star who caught his eye.

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Paul Merson says Noni Madueke has impressed him in recent weeks

Arsenal signed Noni Madueke from Chelsea for £52 million this summer, in a deal that caused division amongst the Gunners fanbase.

Many felt that spending such a significant sum on a back-up for Bukayo Saka was a poor way to allocate resources.

However, after an encouraging couple of weeks, fans are starting to warm to the electric winger, who is showing that he can be more than just a deputy for Saka.

Madueke shone for Arsenal at Anfield before producing two excellent displays for England against Andorra and Serbia, respectively.

Writing for Sportskeeda, Merson singled Madueke out for praise for what he’s done over the last two weeks, although he did issue a word of caution around definitively determining the player as a success already.

“Noni Madueke has impressed me in recent weeks,” the pundit wrote.

“I thought he looked good against Liverpool and he has sort of carried that form into the England team as well. With Bukayo Saka still out injured, Madueke will have a big role to play for Arsenal this weekend.

“It’s definitely a good start to his career in north London, but we need to see more of the same on a consistent basis to call him a success.”

Arsenal no longer need to rush Bukayo Saka back from injury

Saka suffered a serious hamstring injury last season, and many speculated this setback was a direct result of the England international being overplayed in recent years.

The Gunners haven’t had a reliable wide man to back the team’s talisman up, with the likes of Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson not trusted by Arteta.

Now, however, Arsenal can be cautious with Saka and not force him back from injury before he’s ready.

Madueke is an exceptional option to have off the right when the Hale End graduate isn’t available, and is of the calibre that he can even play over Saka in big games if the star man isn’t fully fit.

Andrea Berta has done excellently to bulk out this area of the squad and give Arteta all the tools he needed to compete on multiple fronts.