Viktor Gyokeres failed to make an impact for Arsenal on his Premier League debut.
The £64m signing from Sporting CP played 60 minutes at Old Trafford before Mikel Arteta opted to introduce Kai Havertz, having been unable to register a shot against Manchester United.
Benjamin Sesko recorded two efforts in just 31 minutes and also matched the Sweden international’s tally of four passes.
Discussing Viktor Gyokeres on Sky Sports after the match, Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards completely agreed on why the Arsenal No.14 struggled.
The pair believe the Swede just needs time to adapt to his new teammates – and for them to adapt to him – before we start to see why Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting CP.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Sturridge said: “When you’re an attacker used to doing certain actions, it takes time to adjust. Saka, for example, is used to playing in a particular way and making specific types of runs, and the same applies to the player on the left wing. Now they’re playing with a striker like Gyokeres, who is very different from Havertz. It takes time to get used to his runs, and he will also need to adapt his own game.
“It’s not just about the team changing for him. It’s about him changing for the team and understanding how he can perform at his best. The manager will need to implement certain things in training and have personal conversations with him. That’s what it takes to hit the ground running.
“I think it’s about conversations, understanding who you play with. When I was at Chelsea, I was playing on the wing, so I knew Didier (Drogba) would like certain types of passes or crosses, and (Fernando) Torres was different from him. So I had to play differently with Torres, and Nicolas Anelka would be different.”
Richards agreed with Sturridge on Gyokeres – who Glenn Murray doubts after playing alongside him at Brighton – adding: “You can’t expect someone to be at their sharpest on the first game of the season. (Sturridge) made a great point about how to adapt to the team. I think he’s a striker who plays off the wing-backs and just makes that run.
“With Arsenal and the way they want to play, it’s about progressing through the mid-block, getting Havertz on the ball, and all those sorts of things. Today, he just looked a little frustrated. The atmosphere was just a lot for him today. He struggled, but we didn’t expect him to be at his best anyway.”
Rival fans will unsurprisingly give the 27-year-old little time to impress, but the Gunners are content with their £64m purchase.
Graeme Bailey – Chief Correspondent for TBR Football – has been informed that Arsenal are “buzzing” with Gyokeres and are impressed by what they’ve seen in training from the Swede.
Therefore, this internal view is unlikely to change after one quiet game at Old Trafford, of all venues.
