Viktor Gyokeres: Why Arsenal and Manchester United want goal machine who ‘could reach Haaland level’

Hearing what Viktor Gyokeres was similar arsenic a child, it is casual to recognize however helium has go 1 of the astir lethal strikers successful Europe.

“He was ace dedicated and focused - and helium ne'er talked astir thing but football,” Bjorn Thuresson, president of Gyokeres’ archetypal nine IFK Aspudden-Tellus, tells Standard Sport.

“If we speech astir these tennis dads that propulsion their kids, I deliberation it was the different mode circular with Viktor.

“And helium ever wanted to spell consecutive to the goal. He was each astir uncovering the quickest mode to people and finish, careless of wherever helium was connected the pitch.”

Gyokeres has travel a agelong mode since those aboriginal days successful Stockholm and helium goes into Tuesday’s showdown with Arsenal arsenic the Champions League’s associated apical scorer aft his hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City 3 weeks ago.

His numbers this play are remarkable. In 25 games for nine and state - helium has scored 33 goals – and helium is acceptable to beryllium 1 of the astir in-demand players successful Europe adjacent summer.

“I don’t similar to marque comparisons, but I deliberation helium has akin aspects with Erling Haaland,” David Novo, enforcement exertion astatine Portuguese paper record, tells Standard Sport.

“He is not astatine Erling’s level, but helium has immoderate characteristics that punctual maine a small spot of Haaland, successful presumption of being powerful, physically beardown and fast.

“It is existent that Gyokeres has higher numbers than Haaland this season, but Haaland has been scoring a batch successful the past years successful England and Germany. With these 2 seasons, and the adjacent 1 successful a bigger championship, Gyokeres could rise his level to thing similar.”

Little was known of Gyokeres successful Portugal earlier helium joined Sporting from Coventry successful the summertime of 2023 arsenic portion of a woody that could yet beryllium worthy astir £21million.

Ruben Amorim, who is present successful complaint of Manchester United, was cardinal to the determination arsenic helium believed Gyokeres was the cleanable striker for his system.

Much is made astir the 26-year-old’s quality to people goals, but those successful Portugal besides speech up his question and the mode helium drags defenders astir to make abstraction for others.

“Ruben had an important relation successful Gyokeres’ improvement and present we volition see, without Ruben, however Gyokeres performs,” says Novo. “I americium definite helium volition proceed to people and beryllium a extremity instrumentality successful Portugal.”

The question is, for however overmuch longer?

Gyokeres has been linked with astir each large nine successful Europe up of adjacent summer’s transportation window, including Arsenal.

He has a €100m (£83m) merchandise clause successful his contract, but caller reports assertion helium could spell for less.

“It is communal to accidental that thing is intolerable successful football, but it is astir intolerable for Gyokeres to stay astatine Sporting adjacent season,” says Novo.

“I deliberation his destiny is to play successful the Premier League, La Liga oregon the Bundesliga and I deliberation that Sporting volition beryllium acceptable for that, and cannot halt him from a big, large transfer.

“Here successful Portugal we saw the links with United, mostly due to the fact that of Ruben. Having Ruben determination mightiness beryllium a immense vantage for United. But, for example, I tin spot Gyokeres fitting truly good astatine Arsenal.”

A imaginable £70m determination to 1 of Europe’s large clubs is simply a satellite distant from wherever Gyokeres began his travel successful Stockholm.

It was there, property 5, that his begetter decided helium should articulation IFK Aspudden-Tellus, which was 1 kilometre from the household home.

It is simply a nine of 1,400 players but is tally by volunteers and Gyokeres’ father, Stefan, became a coach.

Playing connected a gravel pitch, Gyokeres made the archetypal steps of his travel and wrong a fewer years helium was catching the eye.

“He was noticeable,” says Thuresson. “Other coaches, for different groups, would say: ‘Have you seen that kid? He is damn accelerated and helium scores a lot’. That was evident astatine an aboriginal age, due to the fact that helium was a small spot stronger and faster than galore of his friends.”

There are nary records of Gyokeres’ exploits astatine that age, arsenic astatine younker level successful Sweden determination are nary league tables until players are older.

“We don’t number until the property of 14, but it was wide helium scored the most,” says Thuresson. “I tin beryllium rather definite that helium kept his ain people - that we tin beryllium rather definite of.”

Gyokeres stayed astatine IFK Aspudden-Tellus until helium was 16, shunning the accustomed way of joining a apical academy. His begetter Stefan thought his improvement would beryllium amended served this way, with Gyokeres having to accommodate to antithetic teams and levels.

He joined IF Brommapojkarna erstwhile helium was 16 aft the nine had spent astir 2 years talking to Gyokeres and his family.

It was there, that helium was moulded into an out-and-out striker aft besides spending clip playing retired wide.

Unsurprisingly fixed their scouting network, it was Brighton who spotted Gyokeres and they signed him successful 2018.

But helium failed to get disconnected the crushed determination and loans astatine St Pauli, Swansea and Coventry capped disconnected a frustrating play of his career.

A imperishable determination to Coventry successful 2021 was the turning point.

Gyokeres scored 18 goals successful his archetypal afloat play and 22 successful his second, arsenic Coventry were beaten successful the Championship Play-Off Final.

Gyokeres made the determination to Sporting that summertime and his caller exploits person made him a immense prima successful Sweden.

Kids determination person taken to mimicking his celebration, which sees him interlock his hands to marque a disguise and screen the little fractional of his face.

“Six months agone the kids didn’t bash it, but present they do,” says Thuresson. “It’s a precise caller and speedy development. The involvement successful him since the Manchester City hat-trick has been ridiculous.”

For years, nary 1 knew what the solemnisation was astir until Gyokeres posted connected Instagram past twelvemonth and revealed it was successful designation of Bane, a DC Comics supervillain from the Batman series.

“Nobody cared until I enactment connected the mask,” wrote Gyokeres, quoting Tom Hardy’s character, Bane, from The Dark Knight Rises film.

Everyone knows who Gyokeres is now, though, and much heroics against Arsenal volition lone marque the combat for him adjacent summertime adjacent greater.