Mikel Arteta gives verdict on Mikel Merino heroics against Leicester | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hailed midfielder Mikel Merino's impact off the bench in Saturday's dramatic win over Leicester City.

The Gunners had struggled without a natural striker and looked set to slump to a bitterly disappointing draw, only for Merino to come off the bench and net twice to save the day and seal all three points.

"We believed that Mikel could give us something else, with Leo [Trossard] on the left, and... unbelievable," Arteta reflected after the game. "You have to try things to get them working and he made them work.

"The moment that Kai got injured, we had to look at different scenarios. We were ahead to understand what we needed, and they made it work. He certainly has [the build of a striker], and he can sense danger, anticipate actions... he's got great timing in the box and then the capacity to finish."

Merino, who dedicated the goals to his wife after forgetting to buy her a Valentine's Day gift, revealed the message from Arteta as he entered the game.

"He told me to come in as a striker this morning," the Arsenal star said. "We were talking about it a little bit with one of the assistants. It is the first time in my career that I've played that position.

"He told me to go with my strengths and luckily I could help the team with two goals today."