The Spaniard has played three times for Newcastle United in 2018.
It seems a long time ago that Newcastle United looked to have made one of the best signings of last summer in Mikel Merino.
The Spanish midfielder was a revelation in the first few months of his season-long loan from Borussia Dortmund; so much so that Rafael Benitez signed off on a £7 million permanent deal as early as October.
But a loss of fitness and form has seen the 21-year-old become something of a squad player at Newcastle and Merino has only played three times this calendar year.
However, the door might have just opened for him to start impressing again.
Newcastle announced earlier today that midfielder Jonjo Shelvey suffered a knee injury, and surely Merino is the obvious candidate to replace the in-form man.
The Spain Under-21 star has big boots to fill, evident by Shelvey’s barnstorming performance against Manchester United earlier this month.
But if Merino can rediscover his best form then maybe, just maybe, Shelvey’s absence will be a blessing in disguise for the Magpies, who sit two points above the drop zone.
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