Gary Neville has given a brutally honest verdict on Viktor Gyokeres’ start to his Arsenal career – but the forward quickly answered some of his doubters against Leeds.
Viktor Gyรถkeres joined Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon this summer in a deal worth an initial ยฃ63.5 million and made his first start in the narrow 1-0 win over Manchester United last weekend.
The Swedish forward delivered a mixed display at Old Trafford but was handed another chance from the outset against Leeds United, with Kai Havertz unavailable. Arsenal went into the break 2-0 ahead through Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka, yet Gyรถkeres struggled to make an impression in the first half.
On Sky Sports commentary, Gary Neville was openly critical of his performance. โItโs been a struggle,โ he said. โI thought he showed glimpses against United, though de Ligt marked him very well. But today concerns me more. The pressure is on himโpeople expect 20 goals to fire Arsenal to the title. He needs a goal. Itโs not just about scoring; itโs his general playโtidiness, awareness, bringing others into the game. He looks scruffy in his first game and a half.โ
Nevilleโs criticism was backed by the numbers: in the opening 42 minutes, Gyรถkeres had just 12 touches, most of them deep in his own half, and only one inside the opposition box.
The second half, however, offered redemption. Within three minutes of the restart, Gyรถkeres collected the ball on the left, powered past two defenders, and fired homeโvia a slight deflectionโfor his first Arsenal goal, extending the lead to 3-0.
Arteta on Gyรถkeres
Speaking before the Leeds fixture, Mikel Arteta expressed confidence in his new striker. โI think we are going to be extremely happy when he starts to put the ball in the back of the net very, very often,โ he said. โThe team and myself have a big responsibility to help him be more efficient. Heโs in a really good placeโhe trained very well this week, and he looks very enthusiastic.โ
