Arsenal legend Paul Merson has made an interesting comparison between Viktor Gyokeres and Thierry Henry.
Viktor Gyokeres made his competitive Arsenal debut on Sunday as the Gunners ran out 1-0 winners at Manchester United.
Though the result was good for the Gunners, their performance left a lot to be desired, with Gyokeres one of those who flattered to deceive.
However, Paul Merson urged for patience in the wake of Gyokeres’ debut, reminding fans that two of the club’s biggest legends had slow starts at Highbury.
Paul Merson notes how Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp also had slow starts at Arsenal
Merson gave his verdict on Gyokeres’ debut and, while he acknowledged that he didn’t pull up any trees, he noted that it was a difficult fixture in which to make an impact.
In addition, the former Arsenal midfielder said Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp both needed weeks to get to grips with both their new club and a new league for them.
“It was a hard game for Viktor Gyokeres to start,” Merson wrote on Sky Sports. “It’s one of the hardest in the league at Old Trafford and I thought Man Utd defended well.
“Matthijs de Ligt likes the physical battle and apart from one-time Gyokeres got the better of him, he coped really well.
“I saw the two greatest players to play for Arsenal in Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry and they took six weeks to get to grips with the club and the Premier League.
“It’s going to take Gyokeres time but there are good signs.
“He held the ball up well and made one or two nice touches and runs, but we shouldn’t judge him on a game away at Man Utd.
“It was a scrappy game where no Arsenal attacker really shined.”
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How Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp fared in their early Arsenal days
Henry joined Arsenal from Juventus in 1999 and didn’t find the back of the net until nine games in, when he scored a brace against Derby County.
Indeed, even the Arsenal website acknowledged that, when Henry came off the bench for his debut against Leicester City, he ‘threatened the North Bank regulars with his scattergun shooting’.
Likewise, Bergkamp – who joined Arsenal from Inter Milan in 1995 – experienced a ‘fitful beginning to life in London’, as per the Gunners website, who noted that he failed to score in his first seven senior outings.
‘Pressure was mounting,’ they continued. ‘Not least from the tabloid media who had branded the Dutchman ‘Hartle-Fool’ after failing to score against the North East minnows in a League Cup tie.
‘How wrong they were.’
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