The former AC Milan midfielder is eager to start playing for the Grifone again, and rebuffed suggestions that a move from the Rossoneri to Genoa was a step down.
The 20-year-old was snapped by AC Milan in 2009 following impressive performances for Stuttgart. He only managed to feature 6 times for the Rossoneri. Milan did a co-ownership deal for the creative midfielder with Genoa in 2011, however, he returned to the
Rossoneri in January following injuries in the Diavolo squad.
Merkel succumbed to an injury and was only able to start twice for the rest of the campaign, once in the Coppa Italia and the other appearance in the Lega. He scored his first goal in the Rossoneri colours in the Italian Cup match against Bari, which the
San Siro outfit went on to win 3-0. His goal in two appearance was not enough to impress the Milan coaching staff to pursue another loan move for him. The remaining portion of his ownership was snapped up by Genoa on 23 March, 2012, and the enterprising midfield
star will be playing for the Grifone in the upcoming campaign.
Many have commented on his future stating that this is not the right move for the German U-20 star to make. The two clubs were on opposite spectrums of the Lega, with the Rossoneri challenging for the Scudetto and the Grifone struggling to survive in the
Serie A. The big jump has been seen with suspicion and Merkel is quick to acknowledge that he understands why such suggestions are surfacing.
The German international feels that he is in the same predicament as he was in the previous years. The inventive midfielder was happy with his debuts for the Milanello; his injury put a dent in his progress. He went on to state:
“It’s a very sensible decision. My debut with Milan was amazing, both in the Coppa Italia and League. Unfortunately, though, the injury put me back and I was unable to prove my abilities.
He went on to clarify regarding the switch and commented:
“In this regard, I want to say one more thing - many have misinterpreted this decision. For me, it’s only about long-term objectives, it became clear that after my injury, no top club would want to sign me.”
The http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Kazakhstan-c2931 born player has only one assist to his name for the Grifone outfit.
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