It might not have looked like it given how well he’s adapted, but Mikel Merino has been learning all about how to be a striker in recent weeks.
Our goalscoring Spaniard began his shift to the number nine role when a plethora of injuries tempted Mikel Arteta to try something new away to Leicester City.
Speaking recently in The Big Interview with the Premier League on a sunny day at Sobha Realty Training Centre, Merino spoke about that instruction from the coaching staff and his rich vein of form.
“Well, in the message they sent me, they didn’t think it was overly important, saying that I could play as a striker, they just mentioned it as a possibility,” he explained.