Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged his entire squad to work together to get the most out of the club’s summer addition.
Mikel Arteta has called on his Arsenal teammates to rally around summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, who struggled in his competitive debut, a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
The £63.4 million striker from Sporting CP made only four passes and failed to register a shot on target, prompting criticism.
Arteta defended Gyokeres ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Leeds United, attributing his quiet performance on mediocre build-up play by teammates.
“I think we are going to be extremely happy when he starts to put the ball in the back of the net very, very often, which is his biggest ability,” Arteta told the media.
“So the team and myself, we have a big responsibility to help him and to understand him to be more efficient and the first game was a really demanding game and we will take it from there.
“He is ready to go again. He’s very, very enthusiastic. He trained really well this week. Again, he had another week under his belt, he looks in a really good place.”
Arteta planned a gradual integration for Gyökeres, but Kai Havertz’s knee injury has forced a rethink.
