‘His mindset, his leadership, the way he is’ – Arteta hails two-goal Merino after win over Slavia Prague | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta hailed the performance of Mikel Merino, who scored twice as a striker in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Slavia Prague.

After Bukayo Saka had given the Gunners the lead in Czechia, Merino stepped up in the absence of Viktor Gyokers to net a double and keep Arsenal’s winning start to the Champions League campaign going.

“It’s just a joy to have him, I always say the same thing,” Arsenal boss Arteta said when asked about the Spaniard.

“It’s his versatility on the pitch, the things that he can do, it’s his mindset, his leadership, the way he is as a person.

“Today, we are missing a lot of attacking players and we have to find different solutions. He comes in in the Champions League and scores two goals.”

Merino, usually a midfielder, was used as a makeshift striker for much of last season due to an injury crisis and Arteta lauded the way he has adapted to the role.

“Obviously Mikel hadn’t played there before in his career but we have the good experience of last season and the way he reacted and performed in that position,” he continued.

“We believed today that the way the were set up, it was a good chance for him to perform.

“My view was always that he had really good timing and the capacity to finish in the box. Especially one touch.”