Arsenal star Viktor Gyokeres defended by teammate as heartfelt Stoke gesture detailed
Viktor Gyokeres has had a rough start to the season with Arsenal
Viktor Gyokeres' close friend and international teammate Viktor Johansson has jumped to the defence of the Arsenal striker following recent criticism.
Remarkably, the Gunners' top goalscorer last term has only received 29 minutes of playing time in the top-flight this term after falling out of favour.
He has been an unused substitute on three occasions but did start against Napoli and Ipswich, though he failed to impress in either fixture.
Goalkeeper Johansson thinks the scrutiny is over the top. He also detailed a heartfelt gesture from Gyokeres, which sheds light on the player's true character and his life away from the pitch.
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He said ahead of Sweden's Nations League fixture against Romania: "I call and check on the situation. Sometimes he has come up to us in Stoke. Then we have hung out and cooked food.
"Sometimes it's important not to talk too much about it (the situation) either. We all know what a fantastic footballer he is and everything will work out.
"We are ordinary people and it's not all about football. We can talk about a lot of other things too. We help each other. One does the shopping and the other does the cooking."
Gyokeres would supposedly drive roughly three hours up to the Potteries to spend time with Johansson, who he has known since their childhood having both grown up together in Stockholm before eventually moving to England.
The pair also went on holiday together with their families in the summer on the back of the World Cup.
When quizzed specifically on the criticism the centre-forward has faced, Johansson added: "Yes, so, it's clear that it's never fun to read it. Then again, I'm not the best at reading what's written either.
"But I know that he's a fantastic footballer and a fantastic person. And that's what I'm taking with me."
Viktor Johansson is a close friend of Viktor Gyokeres
Sweden boss Graham Potter recently suggested a change of environment could do Gyokeres the world of good.
"It's part of the life of a footballer. Things can come at you fairly quickly and often you just have to deal with it," he said.
"We know how good Viktor is, we know how important he is. We love him with the team and I think he has the same feeling.
"Sometimes a change of context, a change of environment can help a player. We're all looking forward to having Viktor with us and helping him enjoy his football."
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