'Genius' - Arsenal star hailed as 'one of the best' by Spain manager

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente (Picture: Getty)

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente hailed Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino as a ‘genius’ and ‘one of the best in the world’ after his brilliant hat-trick against Turkey.

Merino bagged an unlikely hat-trick in Spain’s 6-0 World Cup qualifying win over Turkey at the Torku Arena on Sunday night.

Pedri scored twice and fellow Barcelona star Fermin Lopez was also on target in the emphatic victory, which sent Spain top of Group E.

Merino also scored in Spain’s 3-0 win over Bulgaria on Thursday night and has six goals in six appearances for his country this year.

De La Fuente described Merino as ‘world-class’ after the Turkey victory and said the Gunners star ‘doesn’t get the recognition he deserves’.

Merino’s ability to find the back of the net will come as no surprise to Arsenal fans, who were pleasantly surprised by his contributions up front last season following the club’s injury crisis .

‘We have fantastic players, and he [Merino] is another example of a footballer who does many things well,’ Spain’s Euro-winning manager De La Fuente said.

Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick for Spain against Turkey (Picture: Getty)

‘He’s a genius and a world-class player who sometimes doesn’t get the recognition in Spain.

‘But he’s one of the best in the world in his position. What we have are good people, who are humble and want to continue growing.’

Merino, meanwhile, insisted he was ‘buzzing’ after bagging the first hat-trick of his career.

‘It’s an amazing feeling,’ the 29-year-old said. ‘I am buzzing about it. I am really, really happy. It’s my first hat-trick!

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‘I am not used to scoring so many goals. Scoring three with the national team on a night like this, against a team this, is magical. It is a night I will remember for the rest of my life.

‘Obviously when you face an opponent like Turkey, you know it’s going to be a tough game. We knew we were coming here to a very tough atmosphere with crazy fans that are always supporting them.

‘But at the same time, we are always confident that we are going to win every game.

‘We didn’t expect to win by six goals but we had an amazing game, we played very well right from the start, respecting the opponent, giving our all and we were lucky enough to score a couple of goals.’

Merino will hope to continue his brilliant form at the weekend when Arsenal return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest.

Mikel Arteta’s side enjoyed a bright start to the new season – beating Manchester United and Leeds United – but lost to title rivals Liverpool before the international break .

Merino could yet be used as a striker this season with Kai Havertz’s latest injury setback and Gabriel Jesus’ continued absence leaving Viktor Gyokeres as Arteta’s only recognised No. 9.