Teddy Sheringham has criticised Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres, saying the Sweden international “plays like a child” and has yet to understand what is required of a centre forward.
Gyokeres joined Mikel Arteta’s side from Sporting CP last summer after scoring 97 goals in 102 appearances for the Portuguese club. He finished his first season in English football with 22 goals in all competitions, but those figures did not completely convince large sections of the Arsenal support.
The 28-year-old has not started a Premier League match this season, with Kai Havertz’s return to form and fitness pushing him ahead of Gyokeres as Arteta’s preferred central striker.
Sheringham believes the decision reflects shortcomings in Gyokeres’ overall game and says the forward still has significant areas to improve.
“It shocks me that he’s still playing like a kid,” Sheringham told Hajper.
“I don’t think he has understood what it means to be an attacking player and what he has to do.
“There are different ways to play striker, but he needs to be told to hold onto the ball when it comes to him.
“He does some things well, but constantly gives the ball away and when you are 28 years old, you should have learned this a long time ago.”
Gyokeres responded to the criticism with four goals in four matches for Graham Potter’s Sweden during the international break.
Potter recently outlined the qualities the striker provides for his team, highlighting both his contribution in possession and his influence on those around him.
“The way he leads, how he gets all the players involved, how he gives us a completely different dimension to our game,” Potter said.
“That he’s scoring again, he’s in fantastic form.”
Gyokeres will hope his international goalscoring run is enough to earn him a starting place when Arsenal host Leeds United on Saturday.
However, the striker has acknowledged that he wants more regular opportunities after beginning the club season with limited playing time.
“I haven’t played a lot, but I’ve had a few games,” he said.
“It’s felt okay then, but it’s clear that I want to play football and as much as possible. Hopefully that will come, too. You always want to be on the field as a football player.
“Of course you expect more playing time, but we have an extremely good squad with a lot of good players and have been doing well here at the start.
“I’m just trying to focus on what I can control and do my best to play more.”
