Gary Neville shares honest verdict on Viktor Gyokeres’ display in Arsenal win over Manchester United

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Arsenal are off the mark in the new Premier League season, defeating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta’s side have real hope of finally winning the Premier League title, having finished second in each of the last three seasons.

Arsenal were handed a trip to Old Trafford on the opening day and have returned to North London with all three points.

Riccardo Calafiori bagged the only goal of the game, nodding home from close range after shaky goalkeeping from Altay Bayindir.

Calafiori is hoping to win silverware this season after strong recruitment from Arsenal over the summer, but better performances will be required.

This was not a vintage Arsenal display, but Arteta will be delighted to have put three points on the board in the first game.

READ MORE: Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal summer signing has already picked up a ‘little’ problem

Gary Neville on Viktor Gyokeres’ performance for Arsenal

Arsenal unleashed Viktor Gyokeres on United, and were hoping to see the Swede make a dream start to his Gunners career.

Gyokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting over the summer and arrived with a strong reputation as a clinical finisher in Portugal.

Sunday was a frustrating day, though, as Gyokeres failed to really trouble United in front of goal.

Gyokeres is still settling in at Arsenal and finding his feet back in the Premier League, but his debut won’t last long in the memory.

Gary Neville has now shared his verdict on Gyokeres and has actually praised the Arsenal striker for his display against United.

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, Neville suggested that Gyokeres ‘looked a handful’ against United.

Neville felt that Gyokeres ‘did some good things’ at Old Trafford and felt Arsenal’s attack really suffered once he was substituted.

“I thought Gyokeres actually looked a handful,” said Neville.

“I thought he did some good things. I’m actually surprised he came off. I thought Arsenal… they didn’t change defensively when the substitutes were made, but they lost their attacking threat completely when Gyokeres went off,” he added.

Viktor Gyokeres needs time to shine

Arsenal considered Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko over the summer, but ended up going with the Swede.

Sesko is a touch raw at this stage in his development, and Arsenal may have felt that Gyokeres was the better fit, given his greater experience.

Gyokeres is still adjusting to life in the Premier League, though, and the Arsenal forward does still deserve some patience.

Gyokeres has excelled in the Championship and in Portugal’s top flight, but being a consistent threat for Arsenal is a major step up.

Arteta and Arsenal fans will hope for a swift impact from Gyokeres, but there could be some ups and downs along the way.

The goals are bound to come over the course of the season, and Arsenal fans should not be too disheartened by Gyokeres failing to score on Sunday.