Mikel Arteta rates Viktor Gyokeres’ first Arsenal start and provides Kai Havertz injury update | Football

Arsenal boss Mike Arteta says he saw ‘a lot of things’ to be positive about in Viktor Gyokeres’ display against Villarreal and is confident the striker will be in a ‘better condition’ to face Athletic Bilbao this weekend.

Gyokeres was named in Arteta’s starting XI for the first time having swapped Sporting for Arsenal last month and the 27-year-old will have been desperate to open his account in front of a home crowd at the Emirates.

But it wasn’t to be for Gyokeres, despite the Swede’s new team-mates making a noticeable effort to help get their marquee summer signing off the mark in the entertaining 3-2 defeat.

Gyokeres was on the field for an hour in north London and his best opportunity to find the net came just before he was substituted, but the forward’s powerful effort was well saved by Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior.

While Christian Norgaard and Martin Odegaard did manage to get on the scoresheet, goals from ex-Gunner Nicolas Pepe, Karl Etta Eyong and Arnaut Danjuma were ultimately enough to secure victory for the visitors.

Arteta will no doubt be hoping his side return to winning ways when they return to the stadium on Saturday to face Athletic Bilbao in the Emirates Cup.

Asked if it could take some time for Gyokeres to get acclimatised to a new environment, Arteta told reporters: ‘We already broke that line today because I think it was very important for him to start a match and start to have the feeling and the connection with the team.

‘He’s been with us only a week or so, but I really saw a lot of things and a lot of purpose, especially the way he was attacking certain spaces.

‘So in general, for a lot of players that haven’t played many minutes, we have a lot now that they’re going to be ready for Saturday in a much better condition.’

Pressed on how long it could take his players to get used to Gyokeres, the Arsenal head coach replied: ‘I hope days, and every day in training I think he’s getting a really good feeling.

‘I think he’s built connections as well outside, which I think is really important with players that are going to help him to get in the position that he needs to get in.

‘On his fitness level, I think he hasn’t trained really with the team for two months, so he’s done now six or five sessions, I think, before today.

‘So I think on Saturday again he will take another step and he will be in a better condition.’

Arteta is confident Gyokeres will be ‘100 per cent’ ready to make his mark come August 17, when Arsenal open their Premier League campaign against Manchester United.

‘I think mentally and understanding what he needs to do, he will be 100 per cent or more because he’s so willing and so confident as well that he can deliver straightaway,’ he added.

‘I have no doubt that he will be in a really good place.’

Arteta reassured Arsenal fans over Kai Havertz’s fitness after the German was missing from his matchday squad to face Villarreal.

‘Yesterday in training he felt something and this morning he wasn’t quite right, so we decided to rest him,’ the Spaniard explained.

‘I think it’s going to be a matter of a couple of days, hopefully at the weekend, if everything goes to plan, I think he will be fit.’

The contest also came too soon for Gabriel Magalhaes, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori, but there is a ‘chance’ all three could feature against Athletic Bilbao.

‘The three that we lost during the tour, it was Gabi, Leo and Richy, and for Saturday I think both of them have a chance, if everything in the next few days evolves in the way that it’s been evolving in the last few days,’ he added.

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