Manchester United legend full of praise for Gyökeres: decisive factor | OneFootball

, a Manchester United legend, has no doubts in naming Viktor Gyökeres as the best signing of the Premier League season. For the former striker, the Swedish international was the missing piece in Mikel Arteta’s side to help them reach glory.

, finishing the campaign seven points ahead of second-placed Manchester City. Despite the huge investments made by English clubs, Rooney highlights the 27-year-old forward as the player with the biggest immediate impact.

After a highly contested start to the season, Gyökeres became the main attacking reference point of the title-winning team. The player scored 21 goals in all competitions, playing a crucial role in winning the title and in the club’s run to the Champions League final.

On his BBC podcast, after the end of the 2025/26 season, Rooney explained his choice in no uncertain terms. “I think Viktor Gyökeres. Granit Xhaka was brilliant at Sunderland, but look at what Gyokeres brought to Arsenal, it’s exactly what they needed,” he said. “After finishing second in the last three years, I think he gave Arsenal something different and that was a decisive factor in them winning the Premier League,” added the United icon.

Rooney also analysed Mikel Arteta’s tactical change. “Champions are champions,” Rooney said of the London side’s evolution. “I really liked the way they played this season. Everyone now wants to play like Pep Guardiola’s teams, but Mikel Arteta tried that over the last three years and didn’t win the league. He changed the recruitment. They went for a bigger, more physical team, and they don’t concede goals,” he said, giving credit to the Spanish coach.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.