The sound of thousands of Geordies singing his chant is still ringing in Mikel Merino's ears. In fact, the Spaniard's Real Sociedad's team-mates still joke with him about it.
' He comes from Spain and he's f------ class....'
If Newcastle fans thought Merino was class, well, he is the real deal now and to say the midfielder's move to Sociedad has worked out would be an understatement. Merino has become a fully-fledged Spain international; helped Los Txuri-Urdin win the club's first major trophy, the Copa del Rey, in nearly a quarter of a century; and sampled life in the Europa League for the first time in his career.
