Viktor Gyokeres has broken his silence following Arsenal's 2-0 win over Athletic Club. The 27-year-old striker appeared to suffer a head injury during the Gunners' opening game of the new Champions League campaign following a collision with Gabriel Magalhaes.
Gyokeres clashed heads with the Arsenal captain on the half-hour mark as they both went to head the ball. The Sweden international came off worse from the incident, and he required treatment from medical staff.
Gyokeres sustained a nasty cut to the back of his head, but he was eventually patched up and given the all clear to carry on. The Swede eventually climbed to his feet, sporting a black headband.
The Gunners didn't break the deadlock at the San Mames Stadium on Tuesday night until shortly after Leandro Trossard replaced Gyokeres. The Arsenal substitute provided the assist for Gabriel Martinelli's opener before getting on the scoresheet himself in the final moments of the tie.
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Speaking to reporters after the game, Arteta provided a brief update on Gyokeres and Mikel Merino, who also suffered a head injury against Athletic Club. The Arsenal boss said: "I think they are all good."
Then, on Wednesday night, once the dust had settled, Gyokeres broke his silence with a post on his Instagram story. Captioning a picture of himself during the game, the Swede wrote: "Great to be back in @ChampionsLeague with a win [arm flexed and ninja emojis]."
Arteta will be hoping Gyokeres and Merino are fit to face Manchester City this weekend. On Sunday afternoon, the north London outfit will host Pep Guardiola's side at the Emirates Stadium in what is expected to be a fiery encounter.
If Arsenal are to defeat Manchester City, the Swede may need to take notes from Thierry Henry. Speaking recently on CBS Sports, the Gunners legend analysed Gyokeres' performance.
Pointing at Gyokeres as he made his way towards the opposition box, Henry said: "The ball has to go here, across the defender. There's no way that those guys should catch you if you take care of the ball properly.
"He's going to have two chances to do it. He won't do it. He doesn't even look at what's happening. He's praying. They are praying. But that first touch is not going to be good."
Micah Richards asked: "Is that a confidence thing or a technical thing?"
Henry replied: "Yes, yes. Look, we all know that he's been scoring, but away from home, that has to be a goal. He should have had a 1v1. I'm just saying this is the difference between going 1-0 up and still staying 0-0."
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