Gyokeres didn’t take a single shot in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
Viktor Gyokeres has finally broken his silence following his disastrous debut for Arsenal against Manchester United.
Gyokeres, 27, is under intense expectation to deliver quickly this season after signing for potentially to £63 million this summer.
The former Brighton, Swansea, and Coventry City striker has returned to English football following a highly successful career with Portuguese club Sporting CP, where he scored 97 goals in 102 games.
Arsenal fans had anticipated he would make an immediate impact when he made his competitive debut for the club against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
However, the Sweden international struggled to make an impression and was replaced by Kai Havertz midway through the second half after failing to register a single shot, the first time he had gone scoreless in a league game since April 2023.
Arsenal won 1-0 thanks to a first-half strike from Riccardo Calafiori.
However, Sky Sports analyst Roy Keane was particularly harsh of Gyokeres following the game.
“He did not appear sharp. He had moments when he demonstrated his physicality, but he was not clinical enough in the final third,” stated Keane.
Daniel Sturridge reiterated Keane’s remarks, saying, “The Premier League is a different beast.” He came from a league where he had more time and space, and he had to make judgments quickly today.”
Micah Richards, on the other hand, believes Gyokeres will succeed in the Premier League.
“He’s got all the tools to succeed here, but it’s clear he needs time to adjust,” Richards told reporters.
“Arsenal’s system will suit him eventually, but today wasn’t his day.”
Viktor Gyokeres sent a message to Arsenal fans after his debut.
Gyokeres initially avoided social media following his debut, but has since returned to Instagram to comment.
Despite criticism for his individual performance, the striker maintains an optimistic attitude. He shared two photos of himself with the message, “Proud moment to make my Premier League debut for this special club and start the season with a win.”
Following the victory over United, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta stated that his squad did not get the best out of Gyokeres but expressed optimism for the future.
“Well, he did a lot of things exceptionally well,” Arteta stated.
“You can feel, especially with our high press and rhythm, that we gave a little too much time in the first half. We need to work on him, particularly there.
“Then, in the last action situation, he didn’t have many opportunities to do so since in the previous action, we had to play that last ball and the line was still standing with 40 metres to go.
“We were unable to get the ball through to take use of his abilities. But, generally, going away from Manchester United and winning your first game against Arsenal is a terrific start.”
Arsenal will play their first home game of the season against Leeds on Saturday, followed by a match against championship rivals Liverpool the following weekend.
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