🗣️ Mikel Arteta on Viktor Gyökeres after his Arsenal debut in Hong Kong.
“I’m very pleased with Viktor’s first appearance. It’s never easy coming into a new team, especially in a setting like this with so much attention around him, but he handled it with great maturity and composure.
We brought Viktor in because he offers something different — his physicality, movement, and ability to run behind the line are qualities we’ve been missing. You could already see glimpses of that in the 30 minutes he played. His link-up play was sharp, and he worked hard defensively, which is non-negotiable in this team.
It’s important not to put too much pressure on him early on. He’s still integrating — learning our patterns, our language on the pitch, and the chemistry with the other players. But the signs are very encouraging. The team welcomed him well, and I think he felt that support right away.
What impressed me most was his attitude. He’s had a difficult few weeks with all the speculation and noise around his transfer, but he stayed focused and professional. That tells you a lot about the type of player and person he is.
We’ll continue to build him up gradually. He’s still not at 100% match fitness, but we’ll get him there. I’m excited to see how he evolves with us, especially once the season starts and the games come thick and fast. There’s a lot more to come from Viktor, and I’m confident he’ll be a very important player for us.”
Gyökeres featured for Arsenal in the second half of their 2–1 win over Kitchee SC, marking his unofficial debut in red and white with a confident performance full of promise.
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