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Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has offered words of encouragement to Viktor Gyokeres as he looks to kick start his season at club level.
Gyokeres has endured a difficult opening to the new season for Arsenal, with the forward yet to find the net after losing his place in the team to Kai Havertz.
The 28-year-old has made just two starts for the Gunners so far – against Napoli in the Champions League and Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup.
However, Gyokeres was in electric form for Sweden during the international break, scoring four goals in as many Nations League fixtures.
And now Gyokeres has been urged to “believe you can do amazing things” as he looks to replicate his form for Sweden at Arsenal.
The man offering that advice is Giroud, who faces a reunion with Arsenal when his old side entertain Lille in the Champions League this evening.
Giroud has expressed his sympathy for Gyokeres having also faced criticism during his spell at Arsenal between 2012 and 2018.
While the Frenchman scored a respectable 105 goals in 253 games for Arsenal, he never scored more than 16 in a single Premier League season.
“It took me time and you have to be resilient,” Giroud said in a pre-match press conference ahead of Lille’s trip to Arsenal.
“You have to be strong in your head, work hard at training and believe that you can do amazing things.
“They (strikers) need to get used to dealing with that pressure if they want to reach the top level. They’ve (Gyokeres & Havertz) shown they’re doing well, so I’m not worried.”
Gyokeres has been linked with Atletico Madrid & AC Milan
Gyokeres has been loosely linked with a move away from Arsenal amid a lack of playing time so far this season.
Atletico Madrid and AC Milan have been credited with an interest in the former Sporting CP man, who has scored 21 goals in 61 games for Arsenal.
Arsenal are looking to make it back-to-back wins in the Champions League when they play host to Ligue 1 side Lille at the Emirates Stadium.
The Premier League champions opened up their European campaign with a narrow 1-0 win at Serie A side Napoli in September.
Mikel Arteta’s side came from behind to beat Leeds United 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday, with Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimaraes on the scoresheet.
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