Former Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino has opened up about his departure from the club and admitted that he stills considers himself to be a Magpies fan.
The deep-lying Spanish midfielder moved to Real Sociedad last summer after falling down the pecking order at St. James’ Park following an injury.
Initially he had made a bright impact on Tyneside, and has admitted that leaving the Toon Army was not easy.
Speaking to the Chronicle, he said: “I still try to follow all the matches that Newcastle play. I’m still a Newcastle fan. I think I will always be one.
“It was tough. It was not an easy decision for me. I miss a lot of things from Newcastle and the way they treated me was pretty awesome because I felt almost like I was at home.
“The city was really beautiful and the people there showed me a lot of love. Not only the league and the football but the culture and everything.”
OPINION
It’s a real shame that things didn’t work out for Merino on Tyneside. The midfielder was evidently a player of real quality and operated in that deep-lying creative role that Rafa Benitez values so highly. Injuries can be cruel, however, and while he may not have been blighted by problems, the short term absences he did have left him looking sluggish and off-colour. Perhaps if it had been a purely footballing decision Benitez would have elected to keep him, but it’s hard to say no to the £10.5 million Sociedad paid for a squad player. It’s pleasing to hear how highly Merino praises Newcastle, however, both as a club and as a city. One of the main issues that has dogged north eastern football for years and years has been an inability to convince players to move their lives to such a relatively isolated part of the country, but Merino’s comments show that it can be a rewarding and exhilarating chance worth taking.