Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

News

Mikel Merino “I’m really, really happy to be here”

7 years ago
Share

Some fans are already worrying about exactly what is needed to make the deal permanent but loan star Mikel Merino simply says ‘I’m really, really happy to be here, enjoying every training, every match’.

Getting an early chance due to Jonjo Shelvey’s opening day red card, despite only two previous starts in a top division (for Borussia Dortmund) the 21 year old Spaniard has eased seamlessly into the Premier League.

The midfielder running the show at the minute, always available to take a pass in the middle of the pitch, and looking a player with a massive future.

Jonjo Shelvey has had to settle for a place on the bench since his return from suspension, the only game he has started being a game for the Under 23s.

However, Mikel Merino insists that the two can play together, rather than it being a straight choice, indeed many supporters wonder if Shelvey could be accommodated in the team in place of the disappointing Ayoze Perez.

Merino is attracting the attention of pundits/experts and so in these upcoming matches, it will be no surprise to see the opposition looking at how to make it more difficult for the Spanish Under 21 international.

Momentum is a powerful thing though and playing with confidence and belief in his teammates, no reason why Mikel Merino can’t deal with what is to come.

Three very different matches are coming up, with a home match against Liverpool sandwiched between trips to Brighton and Southampton.

Interesting if Newcastle come through those games still in decent form, as the matches that then follow are Palace home, Burnley away and Bournemouth at home.

Just great at the moment for the fans, that at the minute we are looking up, not down.

Mikel Merino:

“Of course I would have taken this first month (at Newcastle), it would have been perfect if we’d won all the matches but the way we are playing, the way the team thinks about playing football, the penetration and concentration – all of these things are perfect at the moment.

“I’m really, really happy to be here, enjoying every training, every match.

“I look comfortable playing football, not only in Premier League…it’s what I like, it’s what I love, I have been doing it since I was seven years old, and, for me, it is my love.

“It doesn’t matter if we are playing at a higher intensity, I have to adapt to it, the main reason why I feel comfortable is I have really good team-mates who are always supporting me.”

“We have to be sure that we do our job, be sure that we have the crowd and be strong in our home here.

“We are lucky now, because we are winning and I hope this is going to be a good thing for us. We will be more confident and we can carry on and keep working.”

“We have to keep going, we have to keep playing like this effort, this rhythm, just doing our work – keep winning if we can.

“Of course me and Jonjo (Shelvey) can play together – all of the midfielders can play together. We have a connection.

“That is one of the things that is really important in football, trust in your team-mates, then it doesn’t matter who plays, because you can make it really clear whose job is which and adapt to it.”

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks