"Somebody tell me what his role is exactly", "Why did we sign him" - Fans slam Arsenal star after loss to Manchester United

Arsenal fans have called out midfielder Mikel Merino following their 5-3 FA Cup shootout loss to Manchester United on Sunday (January 12). Merino was poor in midfield and failed to offer any meaningful contribution.

After a goalless first half, Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring for United in the 52nd minute following a brilliant set-up by Alejandro Garnacho. Gabriel Magalhães could partially be held responsible for United's opener, as his error gave Garnacho the chance to advance with the ball.

Diogo Dalot received his second yellow card in the 61st minute for a clumsy foul. Two minutes later, Gabriel's shot was accidentally deflected into the net by Matthijs de Ligt to make it 1-1.

Harry Maguire was penalised for a debatable foul on Arsenal's Kai Havertz, but Martin Odegaard missed his 72nd-minute spot-kick. Following a goalless 30 minutes in extra time, United leveraged on Havertz's miss to move to the next round.

In 73 minutes, Merino had a passing of 67% (14/21). He registered two key passes and lost possession of the ball nine times (via Sofascore). Fans took to X to express their dissatisfaction with Merino's performance, with one tweeting:

"Till today, I no sabi wetin Merino dey do for my team. Somebody tell me what his role is exactly😂."

"Mikel Merino ain’t better than Denilson 😂😂," another added.

"Sold ESR and Nketiah. Why get like for like players? Clown chose to buy Mikel ‘Statue’ Merino instead," another said.

"The ref probably had more touches than Merino too….," a fan opined.

"Apparently Merino played 🤷🤷, " a fan was left wondering.

"Why did we sign merino?," wrote another.

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How did Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard perform against Manchester United?

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard

Despite missing a penalty that could have secured the Gunners' victory, Odegaard was brilliant in midfield and intuitive in attack.

Odegaard had a passing accuracy of 85% (74/87) and provided 10 key passes and created two big chances (via Sofascore). The Norwegian has scored one goal and provided five assists in 19 games this season.

Arsenal face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Wednesday (January 15).