'Impossible' Mikel Merino truth revealed even after Newcastle diehards left their mark

Rafa Benitez has admitted that it was 'impossible' for Newcastle United to keep hold of Mikel Merino.

It was Benitez who brought Merino to St James' Park seven years ago and the midfielder quickly made his mark. In fact, after starting six of Newcastle's opening seven games of the campaign, Merino's loan move from Borussia Dortmund was made permanent.

However, Merino went on to suffer an untimely back injury, which he described as the worst of his career, and the Spaniard struggled to get back in the team. Real Sociedad pounced and activated Merino's €12m release clause in 2018 after Benitez made a 'promise' to his countryman that he could move to a Basque club in the future.

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"Mikel was another type of bet," Benitez told AS. "We convinced him to come and from the beginning we knew that his time at Newcastle was going to be fleeting. The idea was that he would bring us quality and convince him to stay with us longer, but due to his quality and being Basque, he was a player that was impossible to retain."

Merino's progress in the years since won't have surprised anyone who worked with the talented midfielder at Newcastle. In fact, former team-mate Rob Elliot even previously suggested that Merino had the potential to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Merino has since become a regular in the Spain squad; helped Sociedad win their first trophy in nearly a quarter of a century; and sampled life in the Champions League knockout stages. However, Merino has never forgotten his 12 months on Tyneside.

"I felt at home there and I'm not lying when I say that," the 27-year-old previously told ChronicleLive. "I felt so welcome by the fans, by my team-mates, by the atmosphere.

"The city was amazing. I was enjoying just going to the city centre and having a pint or going for a walk and enjoying the people speaking nicely to you. I was feeling great.

"I look back on those times and it was a shame I could not play more games and enjoy the fans and the league a little bit more, but my mindset right now is it was a huge year for me. I learned a lot.

"I'm really sure I'm the player that I am now because of Newcastle and all the experiences that I lived there. I'm really happy that I lived that and I wish all the best for every Newcastle fan."