Arsenal: Mikel Merino issues Viktor Gyokeres message as under-pressure striker seeks to end goal drought | OneFootball

Summer signing has not scored in over a month

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Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino says it is a “matter of time” before Viktor Gyokeres ends his goal drought.

Merino, however, has praised the Swede’s work off the ball and believes he has played a key role in Arsenal climbing to the top of the Premier League.

The Spaniard is convinced that hard work will pay off for Gyokeres and the goals will start to flow.

“He has the quality, for sure,” said Merino ahead of the north Londoners’ Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid.

“He has the tools, the physicality, he has the players around him to feed him those goals and it is a matter of time that he is going to score goals.

“I see him pretty confident. I think he is a really confident guy. You can see every day in training that he does the right things.

“As long as he keeps working, keeps providing us with the best performances…I feel that he knows what he is capable of.

“He has scored, I don’t know how many goals last season, and it is not something that you forget from one day to another.

“He is going to be there and we all trust him. We all know he is a top-class player and I think that’s it.

"With Viktor, we try to show him love and try to support him - but that is just the main mentality that we have as a team.

“Everyone needs that love, everyone needs to feel comfortable, to feel surrounded by nice people and a team that they can count on.

“So, Viktor is just an example [of that], but I think everyone is wishing him to keep doing what he is doing.

“Obviously, if he scores goals, it is even better for everyone and for him as well. But the main thing, as I said before, is that the team wins. As long as the team is winning he, and everybody, is going to be happy.”

Gyokeres may not have been finding the net, but Merino has urged people not to overlook what he is providing the team.

“We cannot be focusing only on the numbers,” he said.

“I know these days in modern football, numbers matter a lot. But if you see the games, you can see how much he gives us.

“He is giving us many, many options on and off the ball. The work rate he puts in during every single game, you have to see the data, it is unbelievable how much he helps the team on and off the ball.

“Sometimes it is unfair for the strikers, because if you don’t score it seems like you are not doing anything.

“But he is providing a lot for us and I am sure goals will come. I am sure that he wants to score as much as everyone else, but the main thing is to help the team win.

“We are a team, we are a collective, so I am pretty sure that he is also happy that he is providing the best performances on and off the ball for his team-mates.”