Journalist says he noticed something really unusual about Viktor Gyokeres when meeting him in person

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Viktor Gyokeres made his Arsenal debut last week against Tottenham in Hong Kong and will hope to be given his first start at the Emirates against Villarreal on Wednesday.

The Swede was granted 13 minutes off the bench against the Gunners’ North London rivals, as Mikel Arteta’s side slumped to a 1-0 defeat.

Arsenal have paid £63 million for Gyokeres, who will expect to usurp Kai Havertz in the pecking order once he’s had more time in training.

For now, Arteta is carefully integrating the prolific number nine, looking to gradually increase his load as he builds fitness.

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Journalist reveals Viktor Gyokeres is ‘unusually broadly built for a footballer’

Gyokeres had just two touches in his short cameo against Spurs, as Thomas Frank’s outfit bunkered inside their own box in the last 15 minutes in Hong Kong.

He wasn’t able to influence the game in any meaningful way, although the Gunners faithful should get a better look at their new striker at the Emirates in the next two matches, when the game should be more open.

Exceptional at exploiting space in transition, Gyokeres’ strengths don’t lie in pinning defenders who are sat deep inside their own half.

That said, journalist James McNicholas met the player in person during the tour of Asia and was surprised by his physical stature.

“The other thing I noticed was his size,” McNicholas said on Arsecast.

“I met him after the Newcastle game for the first time. He is a big guy, a really big guy.

“Whether he’s at his in-season weight, I don’t know, but he’s unusually broadly built for a footballer, his general frame is big, and that can go one of two ways, there’s good and bad to that.”

With Arteta generally favouring physically imposing players, Gyokeres’ size won’t be a coincidence; the Spaniard wants a team that can outmuscle anyone in the Premier League and Europe.

Viktor Gyokeres needs to improve his hold-up play

While exceptional in the box and at making runs in behind, Gyokeres could improve with his back to goal.

The Swede can occasionally be loose with his first touch, which can often see him regress play when it’s fired into him with his back to a defender.

Given his strength and physicality, this is an area of his game he can still improve under the guidance of better coaches, even at the age of 27.

He was able to get away with this in the Primeira Liga, where the standard of defending isn’t at the highest level, but this will be a genuine issue for him in the Premier League, where defenders give you no licence to take a heavy first touch.

That said, Arsenal are looking to play to Gyokeres’ strengths, which doesn’t involve feeding him to his feet, but rather finding him quickly and directly in behind.