Ian Wright reveals message he sent to Arsenal star Victor Gyokeres after his PL debut in 1-0 win against Manchester United

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has revealed the message he sent to Viktor Gyokeres after his debut against Manchester United. He drew comparisons to his own career and urged the Swede to work hard.

The Gunners signed Gyokeres from Sporting CP for a reported fee of €63 million + €10 million in add-ons this summer. He made his debut in their Premier League 2025-26 opening clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on August 17. The visitors won 1-0.

However, Gyokeres had an underwhelming debut. In his 60 minutes on the pitch, he completed 4/9 passes, won 3/13 duels, attempted 0 shots, and lost possession 11 times (via SofaScore). Arsenal legend Ian Wright has now revealed what he told Gyokeres after his debut against Manchester United, saying (via TBR Football):

“I’ve got a kind of dialogue with literally every player in that dressing room. I could send a message, they’ll send a message back, and I’ve already sent my messages to Viktor and he’s already sent them back, you know, and how much he’s looking forward to doing what he’s doing."

He added:

“And like I sent that message about Viktor, you’re mirroring me, so all you’ve got to do now is continue to have the faith in yourself that got you through the hard times. Because you doubt yourself, you doubt yourself because all of a sudden you’re coming into a dressing room and you’re playing with Saka and you’re playing with Odegaard, you know what I mean?

“You’re playing with two arguably the best centre backs in the world, you’re playing with Declan Rice, one of the best midfielders in the world, Zubimendi, your level has gone somewhere else.”

Wright played for Arsenal between 1991 and 1998, recording 185 goals and 31 assists in 288 games.

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Arsenal icon shares thoughts on Viktor Gyokeres' performance against Manchester United

Former Arsenal winger, Freddie Ljunberg, has shared his optimism about Viktor Gyokeres after his debut performance against Manchester United. He acknowledge that the striker struggled but added that he believes the Swede can score plenty of goals.

Ljunberg said:

"It was a tough day at work for him. He obviously wants to score goals and the fans want to see him score goals. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is the Premier League, not Portuguese league. But you can see he has it in him, so I’m not worried. I think he will be around 20 goals this season if he breaks the zero early."

Arsenal will face Leeds United at home (August 23) and Liverpool at Anfield (August 31) before going into the international break.