David Raya has suggested that Mikel Merino is unlikely to start up front for Arsenal despite his match-winning heroics off the bench last weekend.
Injuries to several key attackers have left Mikel Arteta’s side bereft of options in the final third, with Raheem Sterling, Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard the only fit and available forwards at present.
All three started for the Gunners away at Leicester last Saturday but failed to provide a consistent attacking threat for the visitors.
Seeking something different, Arteta threw on Merino for Sterling in the second half to lead the line for the final 20 minutes.
And the change proved to be a masterstroke, with the Spanish midfielder notching a late brace to secure a vital 2-0 win for Arsenal.
Arsenal now host West Ham on Saturday with the opportunity to move within five points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, but with none of their attackers back from injury, Arteta is faced with the same problem in attack.
But despite Merino’s successful cameo apperance off the bench, Raya suggested that Arteta will likely resist the urge to deploy the midfielder up front from the start moving forward.
‘I’m not too sure. I think the demands as a striker in our team are very, very high,’ Raya said on the Seaman Says podcast with Betway.
‘It’s different. It’s a different work, different pressing than that you play as an 8 or as a striker.
‘So maybe he’ll rotate with another players. But I don’t think he will start as a striker. I think if he plays, he plays an 8 and then he might go to the striker.
‘I don’t know how the gaffer is going to do it. I just leave that for the gaffer. That’s his decision. He will make the best decision for the team, that’s for sure.’
Raya also confirmed that Merino had not trained in the role prior to being thrown on in the latter stages of last weekend’s fixture.
‘I think they had a chat [in training] because we always do a walk on matchdays,’ the Spaniard recalled.
‘And then he was speaking to Moli [assistant coach Miguel Molina] saying, “what would you think about playing as a striker because we might need you there?”
‘So he didn’t train as a striker once. He just came on and then because he’s so intelligent and he reads the game very well, he gets into that position.
‘He reads the game very, very well. Obviously, I know him from playing with the national team. He scored a very similar goal in the Euros against Germany and that was when he was playing as an 8.
‘But those type of balls for him is his bread and butter. He’s so good in the air. He reaches the ball very, very well and then it’s just a fantastic header.’
Asked about the progress of Arsenal’s injured attackers, Raya added: ‘Bukayo is doing very well. I see him every morning. He’s always happy, always with a smile on his face.
‘He’s a top guy, so I just can’t wait for him to be back. What he offers, not just on the pitch, just off the pitch, the energy that he brings to the team, to everyone, just that smile on his face all the time is top.
‘Kai, I think I saw him two days ago. I think he just came back from the surgery and everything, so I think he will have a little bit of treatment, a few days off, but he’s very optimistic.
‘He’s very happy. And then obviously he’s thinking about next season. He cannot think about this season because he’s not going to make it.
‘And then obviously Gabriel Jesus has been around the building as well, which is nice to see him. And he’s another one that was always smiling. He’s doing a lot of progress with the physio, so that the good thing.’
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