Toon army praise Spanish sensation after Palace win

Newcastle United fans have praised new signing Mikel Merino after his match-winning performance against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

The Spaniard came on as an early second half substitute and scored the only goal of the game in a what was a narrow 1-0 victory for the home side.

Merino leaped high on 86 minutes to guide home the ball with his head and help lift the Magpies to sixth in the Premier League table, above both Arsenal and Liverpool.

The three points ended a run of two consecutive draws for Rafael Benitez’s side, however keeps up their unbeaten record in October.

Merino, who originally signed for Newcastle on a season long loan during the summer, made his switch for Borussia Dortmund permanent only a few weeks back after an impressive start to his career in England.

The young midfielder has already become a fan favourite at St James Park, and his winning goal at the weekend has only strengthened his reputation with the Newcastle fans as one of the club’s most important players.

The toon army weren’t shy in sharing their love for their star man on Twitter following his goal …

Mikel Merino. 6. MILLION. POUNDS. #nufc

— NUFC360 (@NUFC360) October 21, 2017

Just remember we sold Lewis Gibson, a 17 year old, for £6m and bought Mikel Merino with the money.

— Jenas (@_HaIIey) October 21, 2017

Regardless of how much money Benitez gets from any takeover, Mikel Merino could still be the best player at #NUFC for the next few years.

— ryan (@89rjg) October 23, 2017

Rafa Benitez – Newcastle are not a stepping stone.

Rob Elliott – Merino will play for Real Madrid or Barcelona. #NUFC

— Himanshu Dhingra (@HD_07) October 23, 2017