Wayne Rooney reveals Arsenal star as surprise pick for best Premier League players | OneFootball

It’s not who you might think...

Wayne Rooney has surprisingly named Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres as one of the three best players in the Premier League so far this season.

Gyokeres made a fast start to life at Arsenal by scoring twice in a 5-0 demolition of promoted Leeds on his home Premier League debut in August, later netting in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

Manager Mikel Arteta and his team-mates remained very complimentary and supportive of Gyokeres during his seven-match run without scoring for Arsenal, though he was subject to criticism from pundits for a disappointing lack of impact relative to his price tag and the high-profile nature of that summer move and protracted transfer saga.

However, Rooney has clearly been impressed by what he has seen from the 27-year-old so far, picking him as one of the best three players in the top-flight to date this term for an Arsenal team that sit top with a four-point advantage having lost just once in their opening 11 matches.

“Third one, I’d probably go Gyokeres I think,” the Manchester United and England legend told Amazon Prime Video Sport. “Arsenal have been crying out for a number nine for a few years now and he’s come in and his work rate, his determination, his hold-up play and obviously scoring a few goals as well.”

Drought over: Viktor Gyokeres scored three times in as many games for Arsenal before suffering a hamstring injury

John Walton/PA Wire

Gyokeres made it three goals in as many games by also scoring in the 2-0 win at Burnley at the start of the month, though has since been sidelined by a hamstring injury that saw him ruled out of meetings with Slavia Prague and Sunderland plus Sweden’s final pair of World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Slovenia.

It remains to be seen if he will be ready to return in Sunday’s north London derby clash at home to Tottenham as the Premier League resumes following the last international break of the calendar year, a game that is followed by similarly high-profile meetings with Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Gyokeres was third on Rooney’s list of the best performers so far this term, just behind Bournemouth’s in-demand forward Antoine Semenyo and Manchester United’s summer signing Bryan Mbeumo.

However, there was no room for Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland, despite him scoring 32 goals in total for club and country during a truly remarkable start to the campaign.

“Semenyo, I think he’s been brilliant for Bournemouth,” Rooney said. “Carrying on his form from last season.

“I’d also put Bryan Mbeumo in there. I think he’s been really good for Man United, even after a difficult start to the season for the club. I think he’s been really good.”