Will Viktor Gyokeres make his Arsenal debut against Manchester United today?

Arsenal will begin their new Premier League campaign today against Manchester United and fans are desperate to see some new signings in action from the off – perhaps none more so than £64m striker Viktor Gyokeres.

The Gunners’ CF purchase had been years in the making (and that was only for the negotiations with Sporting CP) so, therefore, many expect Gyokeres to slot straight into Arsenal's lineup, some would even argue Gyokeres HAS to start; God knows we need a clinical touch in the front line.

However, there is every chance that Mikel Arteta will make us all wait for his full debut. The boss has a lot of faith in his current striker, the much-maligned Kai Havertz, and might well start him up at Old Trafford instead.

Will Viktor Gyokeres make Arsenal debut against Manchester United?

For good reason too, potentially: Havertz got 17 G/A in 30 games as a CF last term prior to injury and 15 at CF over our final 14 matches in 2024/25 across all competitions. Consider too the tactical benefits of him getting the nod (e.g. his ability to link play from deep could disrupt the hosts’ man-to-man press) and suddenly a Gyokeres benching does not look all that implausible.

But the Swede hardly needs help to find the net himself – 125 G/A in 102 games for Sporting CP tell us that – and he boasts his own tactical niche which could prove more devastating than any Havertz contribution on Sunday: pace in behind, the sort that might see us take full advantage of aggressive United defending.

In terms of fitness, it sounds like Gyokeres is primed for the occasion. Arteta confirmed on Friday that he is “getting better and better every day” and will be ready despite his limited training time with the squad this summer.

And the Emirates Cup might have already provided the answer to the ‘will he/won’t he start” debate as the new man made the first team last Sunday against Athletic Club. Last year, the team named for the Emirates Cup clash (vs Lyon) was the exact same one chosen for our PL opener versus Wolves, so the boss has a record of using the final pre-season match as a testing ground ahead of the domestic return.

It is difficult to call, though Arteta will relish the improved competition for places and see it as having two equally strong options to choose from, rather than a case of two stars who are at odds with one another.

But one thing is for sure: Arsenal fans want to see a clinical edge return to the frontline and no one in this squad compares to Viktor Gyokeres.

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