Napoli striker Mertens finds his ideal role at 30


Soccer Football - Serie A - S.S.C. Napoli vs Benevento Calcio - Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy - September 17, 2017 Napoli's Dries Mertens celebrates scoring their sixth goal to complete his hat-trick REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

MILAN (Reuters) - Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri's only regret over his decision to field Dries Mertens as a striker is that he did not think of it earlier.

Mertens, by nature a winger, has thrived since Sarri redeployed him in the centre-forward role one year ago, turning into one of Europe's most prolific strikers with a tally of 34 goals in 46 matches in all competitions last season.

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