Source: Eurosport
Merida subject of Wenger praise
Arsene Wenger hailed Fran Merida's impact after the Spanish teenager helped fire his young Arsenal side into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Emirates Stadium.[LNB]The 19-year-old former Barcelona trainee returned from the Under-20 World Cup with Spain to drill in a fine first-half strike as Wenger's faith in youth was once again justified.[LNB]Nicklas Bendtner, himself only 21 but now a regular in the side, produced a powerful finish after 50 minutes to put Arsenal into the last eight after Emiliano Insua's spectacular equaliser.[LNB]"Fran is a quality player," said Wenger, who decided against allowing the youngster to go out to Levante on loan.[LNB]"He comes from a very good school. I kept him because I felt he had the quality to break through, but when you look at all the players who did not play, of course the competition for players is very difficult."[LNB]Wenger added: "Fran came to us at a very young age, but our school is in line with the way he was educated. He suits perfectly the way we want to play football."
