Arsenal: Wayne Rooney reveals hidden reason Viktor Gyokeres is better than people think | OneFootball

Gunners striker has been criticised for his performances this season

Wayne Rooney has defended Viktor Gyokeres' performances for Arsenal, insisting the striker is doing more for the team than people realise.

Gyokeres scored Arsenal's only goal in the 1-0 win over Everton on Saturday, emphatically converting a penalty for his first goal since the start of November.

That took Gyokeres to five Premier League goals for the season, with the 27-year-old yet to regularly produce his best form for the Gunners.

There were signs he was settling in a couple of months ago but a hamstring injury halted his momentum and Gyokeres has been quiet since returning to the side.

However, while the goals have not regularly flowed, Rooney praised what the striker brings to the Arsenal team.

“You maybe don't see it, it's not eye-catching, but he does occupy the centre-back," Rooney said.

Gyokeres scores from the spot - his fifth league goal of the season

Peter Byrne/PA Wire

"So I think he's doing a job for Arsenal. 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 to win the league, then he'll have had a big role to play, definitely.”

There was real excitement over Gyokeres' £64million arrival in the summer from Sporting Lisbon. He scored 97 goals in 102 matches in his two seasons in Portugal, with Arsenal hoping he would be the final piece in their title-chasing jigsaw.

"He hasn't scored the goals, which obviously he scored in the Portuguese league, but I think he does a bit more than what you see," Rooney said. "Like even last night, he occupies the two centre backs and he occupied [James] Tarkowski and Michael Keane.

"It creates a little bit more space for other players. So I think he is important for Arsenal. He's doing a job for Arsenal which helps other players. He just hasn't got the goals which you'd expect from him.”

He’s doing a job for Arsenal. If they go on to win the league, then he’ll have a big role to play

Wayne Rooney

Rooney was also full of praise for Rice, who Mikel Arteta described as "unbelievable" after his display against Everton. He had the most touches and accurate passes of anyone on the pitch, and also won possession more often than any other player.

Rice is only 26 but has already earned 72 caps for England, with Rooney predicting he will go on to be given the captain's armband for the Three Lions.

“Obviously Harry Kane's captain, but he's the future captain of England,” he said. "For me, he's the one who's probably waiting for Harry to hang his boots up at some point. Then he's the right one to take over for me because just his drive, his personality, everyone seems to love him, who knows him, who's close to him. He's irreplaceable for England.

Rooney hailed ‘irreplaceable’ Declan Rice as the next captain of England

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"Yesterday he's splitting the centre backs, he's taking the ball off the centre backs, acting as a third centre back, then next minute he's in the box, trying to score a goal.

"The detail of his passes, picking up second balls, always landing on balls, and sometimes some of the stuff he does goes a little bit underrated, but he was absolutely incredible.”

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