Mikel Merino was signed by Rafa Benitez upon Newcastle's promotion to the Premier League in 2017, but his departure a year later has led one fan to question why he was let go.

Supporters have responded with a variety of reasons, but the majority point to the fact that his release clause was activated by Real Sociedad and there was little that could be done to stop him from leaving once his mind was made up.

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It is understandable why he left considering he was offered a return to his native Spain, particuarly as he never really nailed down a first-team place for the Magpies, often being left out in favour of Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame.

Despite that, many fans enjoyed what they saw from the 23-year-old and are disappointed his stint in the north-east was cut short, though with youngsters like the Longstaff brothers coming through currently they may not ponder his departure for too long as it looks to be one of their strongest areas on the pitch under Steve Bruce right now.

Here are some of the reactions discussing the reasons behind Merino's exit from the club.