Mikel Merino left in awe of what he saw in Arsenal training before finally making debut

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino yet made his debut successful midweek aft spending weeks connected the sideline with a breached enarthrosis and he's already enjoying beingness astatine The Emirates

Mikel Merino admits he's been impressed with the prime of Arsenal's grooming contempt his caller wounded lay-off.

The Spain midfielder, 28, joined the Gunners from Real Sociedad successful the summertime transportation model aft months of speculation. However, helium has been incapable to marque his debut until Tuesday night's impressive 2-0 triumph implicit PSG successful the Champions League aft breaking his enarthrosis past month.

He has spent the past fewer weeks watching connected arsenic Mikel Arteta's broadside conflict to laic down an aboriginal marker successful the Premier League rubric contention - and he's been mightily impressed with what he's seen truthful acold astatine London Colney.

When helium was asked astir his archetypal impressions of beingness astatine the club, Merino told CBS Sports: “They bash immoderate things that I person ne'er seen successful my career. The methods they usage are wholly caller to me, truthful evidently it takes immoderate clip to adapt.

“At the aforesaid time, I deliberation that erstwhile you get it, you are successful a antithetic level due to the fact that they situation you each azygous time - not lone physically, but mentally. That makes you beryllium crisp mentally and that's what you are going to find retired successful the game.

“I don't privation to archer everything that we do, but determination is nary remainder betwixt 1 infinitesimal and the other. They are ever challenging you mentally with antithetic stimuluses. It makes you ever each the clip alert of what is happening astir you.

“The mentality that they person present is amazing, not lone connected the pitch, but astatine the grooming crushed and however they absorption connected the azygous things, the details, the basics.

“When I spoke to Mikel and I saw what was the plan, not lone with maine but the full team, what was the culture, I felt this was the close spot to beryllium to instrumentality the adjacent measurement successful my career. I privation to turn up, I privation to larn adjacent much - and I deliberation this is the close spot to support improving and support winning.”

Merino was courted by Arsenal and different clubs during Euro 2024, wherever helium starred for Spain successful their tally to glory. But it was Arteta and Arsenal's tendency to triumph trophies that won the midfield maestro over.

He explained: “For sure, that is thing that helped maine a batch to determine wherever I wanted to be. The mentality that they person present is amazing, not lone connected the pitch, but astatine the grooming crushed and however they absorption connected the azygous things, the details, the basics.

“When I spoke to Mikel and I saw what was the plan, not lone with maine but the full team, what was the culture, I felt this was the close spot to beryllium to instrumentality the adjacent measurement successful my career. I privation to turn up, I privation to larn adjacent much – and I deliberation this is the close spot to support improving and support winning. Winning trophies is the main happening present for everybody. They are obsessed with that. You tin spot that winning is the main happening for us.”

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