Arsenal’s Mikel Merino, Martin Zvimendi, Cristian Mosquera, Julian Timber and William Saliba (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Spanish duo Mikel Merino and Martin Zvimendi have been praised by Spanish manager Luis da la Fuente.
The Gunners duo are key players in Mikel Arteta’s side, and although they are not regular starters for Spain’s national team, de la Fuente seems to rate them very highly.
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Merino came off the bench to score the winning goal against Portugal yesterday, helping his team reach the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
De la Fuente has now spoken of how important Merino is to him, admitting he would have done virtually anything to ensure the Arsenal midfielder was available for this year’s competition after a difficult second half of the 2025/26 season with a serious injury.
Spain manager praises Arsenal duo Merino and Zvimendi
“I have already said that I would pick Mikel up from his house if necessary,” de la Fuente said, Metro reported.
“He is a great player for everything he gives us. I would also like to note the contribution of the players who came on in the second half, just like at the European Championship. It shows great professionalism from everyone.”
The Spanish tactician went on to praise Zvimendi despite currently falling behind Manchester City’s Rodri in the pecking order.
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De la Fuente praised Rodri as the best midfielder in the world and Zvimendi as the second best.
“Rodrigo is the guiding light of this team, a player with outstanding vision. That is why he is the best player in the world in his position and behind him is Martin Zvimendi, the second best player in the world in his position,” he added.
