OPINION
Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino has endured a turbulent first season in English football and unfortunately for him it appears to be ending on a sour note.
The 21-year-old hit the ground running in the first few months of the campaign and his loan move from Borussia Dortmund was even turned into a permanent one.
He quickly became a firm fan favourite due to his blockbuster start, where he was the talisman for the side and mainstay in the starting XI.
The Spain Under-21 internatonal was a serious driving force with his excellent range of passing and provided protection too in front of the back four.
Merino thrives in the deep-lying playmaker role and after a stunning first couple of months it was inconceivable that he would be frozen out.
However, he has gone from hero to zero since and been a real fringe figure in the squad.
Merino has found himself watching on from the sidelines mainly to see Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame form the core partnership in the centre of the park.
He has made just 25 appearances across all competitions and a spate of injuries along the way has also halted his chances of breaking back into the side.
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez now has a big role to play with him and needs to restore confidence in him over the summer months.
Merino is still an extremely young player and has shown enough to suggest he can be a quality asset in the top flight for the club moving forward.
He could even get a head start if he features in the final two games of the Premier League season against Tottenham and Chelsea, where he could do with reminding supporters of his quality.
