Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino is in the running for an award for the Premier League signing of the summer, following his fantastic displays for the Magpies so far.
The Spaniard impressed after joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, initially on-loan, and earned a permanent move to Tyneside as a result- establishing himself as a crucial part of Rafael Benitez’s side.
A string of impressive performances have seen Merino establish himself as a fan favourite, though an injury has seen him miss the past three matches- all of which have ended in defeat for Newcastle United, the most recent being Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester United.
That poor run of form in Merino’s absence shows just how crucial the 21-year-old is for his side and Sky Sports have included him in a short-list of ten players, as they seek to decide the Premier League signing of the summer.
Merino is certainly up against it with the likes of Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinac, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester United duo Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic also on the short-list, but it shows that Merino’s performances are attracting plenty of attention.
