Arsenal need to do more to create chances for Viktor Gyokeres, rather than sharing the goals around the team, reckons former Gunners full-back Emmanuel Eboue.
The Swedish striker scored his ninth goal of the season in the 3-1 Champions League win over Inter Milan on Tuesday night.
The summer signing, who cost an initial £55m from Sporting, has been a bit underwhelming so far, especially in the Premier League where he has scored just five times in 20 outings.
With the returns from injury of Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, Gyokeres’ place in the starting XI is now under threat.
However, Eboue is backing the 27-year-old to come good, if his teammates do more to give him the chances to score.
The Ivorian believes there should be more focus within the Arsenal side on creating opportunities for their centre-forward, saying that was the case when he played alongside Thierry Henry in north London.
‘I watched him a lot when he played in Portugal and he is a very good striker,’ Eboue told AceOdds.com of Gyokeres.
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‘He is strong, but the problem is that the wingers don’t use him often enough. All of them want to score, but he is the striker. His job is to score.
‘Henry always told me, [Gael] Clichy, Ashley Cole and all the other guys, that he was the striker. He needed to score. He told us that he knew we wanted to score, but our job was not to score. Our job was to produce chances.
‘At training we always tried our best to give Henry confidence. We fed him, and they need to do that. He is a good striker. He needs more confidence, so his teammates need to help him.’
Gabriel Jesus started in Milan and scored the other two Arsenal goals, but suggested he doesn’t expect to start against Manchester United on Sunday.
‘To think about starting in this moment, everyone wants to start, to get minute, to get chances, but know I understand the whole situation, I’m not a kid anymore, I’m 28,’ the Brazilian told Amazon Prime.
‘I understand football, how it works.’
‘A striker without a goal is always difficult’
Jesus had praise for Gyokeres and also talked up the returning Havertz, with all three competing for the same spot up front.
‘I was so happy that Viktor came on and scored a goal,’ he said. ‘A striker without a goal is always difficult, I’ve been fighting with this my whole career.
‘And I’m 100 percent sure when Kai gets his chance, he will score.’
Eboue feels that the Premier League leaders will land the title this year, ending the drought which dates back to 2003.
With Manchester City faltering, he sees the Gunners as hot favourites, but reminds them they need to keep standards up after a goalless draw with Nottingham Forest last time out in the league.
‘They have to do more, because the game against Forest could have been better,’ he said. ‘But I am 100 per cent sure that this season is going to be Arsenal’s season. When Arsenal are dropping points, Man City are not capitalising.
‘So, I think this year is going to be the year for Arsenal.
‘Man City have a good squad, but they are making a lot of mistakes this season. It has been very difficult for them to win, even against the small teams.’
