Mikel Merino admits he was ‘surprised’ by Arteta using him as a striker after late brace gives Arsenal win over Leicester | OneFootball

Mikel Merino admits being brought on as a striker came as a complete surprise as the Spaniard scored score twice late on to hand Arsenal a 2-0 win over Leicester City.

The Spanish midfielder entered the pitch for Raheem Sterling in the 69th minute, and the tactical switch from boss Mikel Arteta paid off as Merino popped up twice inside the final ten minutes to secure a crucial win for the Gunners.

When asked whether the plan was for him to go up front, the 28-year-old admitted he has never played their before in his career: “Arteta told me I was going to come in as a striker. We were talking this morning about it with one of the assistants and honestly it was a surprise.

“It’s the first time in my career I’ve played in that position. But he told me to go as a striker, make sure I go with my strengths. Luckily, I could help the team with two goals.

“I’ve only scored two braces in my career, this is the first time I’ve done it coming off the bench as a striker. It’s a good time to score as I didn’t spend Valentine’s Day with my wife, this goes to her!

“Today was a tough game, we knew coming here to this amazing stadium, Leicester battling relegation, it was going to be tough. This will lift the spirit, thank you to the amazing fans behind us. This is an amazing team, games like today are unbelievable for the squad.”

There was much talk before the match about Ethan Nwaneri’s involvement in the game, primarily whether he was to start on the wing or up front.

And the 17-year-old shone for the Gunners from the right-hand side, assisting the opener and Merino’s first of the match, and the Spaniard spoke highly of the youngster’s impact on the team: “Ethan is an amazing player, every time I do an interview you guys ask me about him. It’s natural, he’s such a talent. Luckily today he crossed. I’ve spoken to him all season about how I need those crosses into the box.

“He has such a wonderful left foot, he put it on my head and I can only score.

“This is a long, long season. We have been talking about it all season. We need to put our foot on the gas and if we keep going, putting pressure on every single game, good things will come in the future.”