Wayne Rooney makes honest admission about Viktor Gyokeres' performance for Arsenal, 'I think he is...'

Manchester United icon and expert Pundit Wayne Rooney has expressed his opinion on Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres amid his decent start to life at the club. The Sweden international was on target for the Gunners in their narrow 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.

Wayne Rooney backs Viktor Gyokeres

Rooney revealed in the latest edition of The Wayne Rooney Show that he feels Gyokeres played a pivotal role in the game against Everton despite criticism that had been leveled against him. He admitted that the striker should be scoring more, but said that he will be important if Arsenal end up winning the league.

"He does a bit more than what you see. Even [on Saturday], he occupies the two centre-backs, [James] Tarkowski and Michael Keane. That creates a bit more space for your number 10 or your wide players who are coming inside. I think he's important for Arsenal. He's doing a job which helps other players, he just hasn't got the goals which you'd expect from him.

You maybe don't see it, it's not eye-catching, but he does occupy the centre-back. Can he be better? Of course he can. Should he score more goals playing in that team? Yeah, he should. But I think if Arsenal go on to win the league, then he'll have had a big role to play, definitely", he said (via BBC.com).

Viktor Gyokeres' tough start in Premier League

Viktor Gyokeres has amassed five goals in 15 Premier League games for Arsenal since joining from Sporting club in the summer. The 27-year-old has seemed to struggle at times, with Mikel Merino often selected to lead the line ahead of him.

Rooney previously named Gyokeres as one of the league's best players, and he has doubled down on his opinion of the former Swansea City striker. He ended a five-game goalless drought against the Toffees, lashing home from the penalty spot to give his side a 1-0 win.

Arsenal's close win against Everton to reclaim Premier League lead

Arsenal secured a close 1-0 victory against Everton in their Premier League game on Saturday to reclaim the top spot in the standings. The Gunners secured a third back-to-back win across all competitions, putting David Moyes' team to the sword at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Mikel Arteta's team scored the game's lone goal in the 27th minute through summer signing Viktor Gyokeres. The Sweden international stepped up to score a penalty after Jake O'Brien blatantly handled the ball inside the Everton Penalty after Jake O'Brien handled the ball inside the Everton Penalty area.

The Gunners failed to score a second goal but held off the Toffees for a fourth clean sheet in their last ten games. The win took them back above Manchester City, whose 3-0 win against West Ham earlier in the day took them to the summit of the League table.