Arsenal star's dad reacts to Mikel Arteta's positional change as Real Madrid warning sent

Mikel Arteta has earned widespread praise for his tactics in steering to a glossy 3-0 win over . And Mikel Merino's father is among his admirers after "bringing out" the best in his son in the showdown.

Merino, 28, joined the Gunners from Real Sociedad last summer and slotted into 's midfield immediately after recovering from a shoulder injury. However, long-term injuries to and saw him pushed into more of a centre-forward role.

It's a position he has occupied for Spain on occasion, and recent returns prove the manager was right to put his faith in the player. And no-one had more faith than Angel Miguel Merino, who lauded his son's eye for goal.

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"He had it in him, it was a matter of bringing it out and putting him in that position," he told El Larguero. "It's not where he feels most comfortable because he likes to touch the ball more often, but when he has to finish, he's always been a player who can score. He's a good finisher and he's proving it."

Merino Jr displayed as much with his strike second-half hit against Los Blancos. A late adjustment was required as he wheeled back to get on the end of Myles Lewis-Skelly's pass across the area, somehow generating enough power to fire low into Thibaut Courtois' bottom-left corner.

The goal brought Merino up to eight goals in his maiden season with Arsenal. And six of those have come since his conversion to playing further forward in mid-February.

Despite basking in the glow of Arteta's first-leg victory, however, Angel also sent Arsenal some words of caution. As one with experience playing in Spain's top flight, the former Osasuna midfielder – who made his debut for the club at Real's Bernabeu – warned the job is not complete.

When asked about the experience of watching his son score in a match of such magnitude, Merino Sr replied: "I felt the same joy with the third goal as with the previous two, probably a little more because Mikel scored, but with the peace of mind that the second leg is still to come and we shouldn't get carried away.

"Real Madrid has shown on countless occasions that it can turn the tie around. The result gives you room to manoeuvre, but we know that matches and knockout rounds at the Bernabéu can't be considered won."

It just so happens that Arsenal's only previous competitive appearance at the Bernabeu ended in a 1-0 win back in February 2006. Thierry Henry stole the show that day with the game's only goal, advancing from that round of 16 clash and eventually reaching the final, where Arsenal lost to Barcelona.

The Gunners are hoping history will be repeated – at least against Real – as they look to use Los Blancos as a stepping stone to reach the semi-finals, where they would face either PSG or Aston Villa. And Merino looks certain to play a key role in their fate in next Wednesday's trip to Spain.