Miguel Merino, Mikel's father, will experience a special situation when he sees the ball roll tonight in Anoeta. Her son will play txuri urdin and opposite will be Osasuna, a team in which he played six seasons and that saw Mikel grow.
Have you talked to Mikel these days?
It's okay. At the beginning it is always difficult to resume the activity a little after being unemployed for a while. They came from many games in a row between League and Cup and all the players had a fairly high rhythm. Now the state of form is not going to be the same, but he has been training well. Yes, it has had the typical annoyances of hot days such as blisters due to boots and so on, but apart from that they have been working well and a lot.
And how do you see the match between Real and Osasuna?
Well Mikel says that it is the only game that Osasuna wants me to lose and, logically, since Mikel is at Real, my son's interests are above anything. But well, on the other hand, it is a game that if it happens that the Real does not win, within what is possible, it is a lesser evil if it takes the three points Osasuna, it is like it hurts less.
Four years have passed since Mikel left Tajonar, has much changed?
As a son not much has changed, he is still very familiar. He is a boy who has always behaved in an extraordinary way with everyone. But as a footballer has changed a lot. He has matured as time has passed in the different places where he has been playing, both in Dortmund and Newcastle. It has had a spectacular progression. When he was in Osasuna it was seen that he had the capacity because he was champion of Europe with a generation of players like Asensio, Ceballos, Rodri.
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Going away, playing and training with top European players, that has given him a lot at a sporting and mental level, the fact of being away from home and using yourself to face complicated situations, as happened in Dortmund. And in Newcastle it is true that he has already improved because Benítez, especially at the beginning, gave him a lot of court and what he needed was to play, as has been seen at Real.
You already know that when a player in Real stands out, siren songs begin to arrive.
When Mikel made the decision to go with the representatives he is with now, they do a job in the shade and until there is something really serious they do not drive the player crazy. In this sense, Mikel has been very calm and delighted at Real, they have treated him very well. He is in a city very close to what his house is and the style of the game suits him, as well as the character of the area, which is very similar to that of Pamplona. It is in an ideal place. It has no concern and no interest in leaving the Royal unless those major ocean liners out there come in and make an offer that cannot be rejected. Right now he is focused on the Real.
Do you think that Real will be able to offer Mikel a good contract and a project in the future?
When he bet on Real he already knew where he was going. I think that being comfortable in the club, will be part of the project that is. Every year you may not be able to fight for the Champions, but the intention of Real is to make a competitive team to be fighting for the top positions in the classification. There Mikel will be comfortable, but above all because there he will be well, surrounded by people with whom he understands himself well and with a style of play that suits him. There in San Sebastián he has all the incentives to continue, but you never know what can happen in the world of soccer. Although Mikel is happy.