He is as good as Pedri and Rodri -- Spain coach showers Arsenal star with praise

Spain’s head coach Luis De La Fuente was full of praise for Arsenal's Mikel Merino, arguing that the former Real Sociedad man was as good as Manchester City's Rodri and Barcelona’s Pedri. 

Merino had an exceptional international window for Spain, continuing his recent incredible goalscoring run for La Roja. 

He scored four goals during the last international break, including a hat-trick against Turkey. This window he scored a brace against Bulgaria in a 4-0 win. 

Speaking about him during the post-match press conference, De La Fuente praised Merino's adaptability and compared him to the more highly rated players in the squad. 

"He is an exceptionally complete player with great adaptability,” he said, per Goal. “There are few players as versatile as him, and it is a privilege to have him with us. 

“He reads opponents and situations superbly. He is a fantastic footballer, on the same level as Pedri, Oyarzabal, Rodri… we have an outstanding squad.”

Merino said he has been trying to improve the decisive aspects of his game and hopes to replicate his form with Arsenal.

"It’s not a coincidence, but you need a little bit of luck to score. I’ve been wanting to improve this aspect of my game for years and also be more decisive with assists.”

“I hope I can keep this streak going. All teams are well prepared physically and technically. When you build up a group of players in a low block, it’s always difficult, but the credit lies in the number of chances we created and in controlling the game from start to finish. 

“We have little time left, and the team knows that until everything is finalised, nothing is certain. Now it’s time to focus on the club and keep this momentum going."