Theo Walcott makes worrying Viktor Gyokeres claim after Arsenal’s defeat of Man Utd

Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott has warned fans that it could take Viktor Gyokeres ‘a lot of time’ before he is able to work his way up to full match fitness in the Premier League.

Arsenal’s marquee summer signing was handed his full Premier League debut at Manchester United last weekend, but lasted just an hour before being substituted for Kai Havertz in the side’s 1-0 victory.

The Swedish forward often cut an isolated figure up front against the impressive Matthijs de Ligt and failed to register a single shot across his 60 minutes on the field at Old Trafford.

He will no doubt be desperate to return with a much-improved display when the Gunners return to action against newly promoted Leeds in front of a home crowd at the Emirates.

The news that Havertz could be sidelined for the foreseeable future has only intensified the level of scrutiny placed on Gyokeres heading into Saturday’s eagerly anticipated contest.

‘Old Trafford in the first game of the season is always going to be difficult and I always used to think it would take me three or four games just to get me up to match sharpness,’ Walcott said of Gyokeres’ somewhat forgettable debut on the It’s Called Soccer podcast.

‘Look at Gyokeres, he’s going to take a lot of time to get fit. I really do feel that.

‘I think Havertz has got a big factor to play and it’s going to be an interesting dynamic for Mikel to have. It will be a big call if he starts Havertz ahead of Gyokeres at times.

‘It wasn’t pretty to watch but what I really liked was the fact there was no [Jurrien] Timber, there was no [Myles] Lewis-Skelly starting, [Leandro] Trossard didn’t even play… the options they have now.

‘This is the side of it where Arsenal will be strong, with the amount of players he’s got to pick from.’

According to Walcott, performances are secondary at this early stage of the season and securing three points was the most important thing for Arsenal.

‘Gyokeres was [feeding] off scraps and I felt for him, I really did, and they did a job,’ the ex-Arsenal and England attacker added.

‘You look at the old Arsenal teams when they were winning 1-0 away from home, no one remembers the way they played.

‘I think it’s all about results, particularly early on, because these are the points that really matter when the teams aren’t up to scratch right now.

‘And they’re not, I don’t care what anyone says, maybe Manchester City were, but there’s always a space to improve massively and we judge these teams very quickly.

‘But look, great result, it really was. We’re talking about set-pieces again and I don’t want to talk about that, but I never won at Old Trafford so they’re doing something I could never do.’

Walcott is confident Gyokeres will come into own once he’s worked on his sharpness and feels the striker wasn’t helped by both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli having off days at the Theatre of Dreams.

‘You need to have game to get fitness and sharpness,’ he continued.

‘There were signs with Gyokeres where he was running down the channels, really strong, isolating himself.

‘And that’s with Saka and Martinelli not playing well as well and he was on his own, so imagine when those two actually start clicking.

‘But yeah, look, there were signs of improvement, but it’s the Premier League. This is what I was saying before about maybe starting Havertz in that game because it’s a tough game.

‘But I think Mikel wants him to get up to sharpness quickly, he needs him.’

Arteta has not confirmed either way whether Gyokeres will continue his run in the side versus Leeds this weekend, but the likely absence of Havertz leaves Arsenal with limited options through the middle.

Fellow summer signing Christian Norgaard also missed the game through injury, as well as Gabriel Jesus, who is not expected to return from his serious knee injury until the autumn.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.