Arsenal striker told he 'plays like a child' by ex-Spurs forward

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Teddy Sheringham has launched a pointed critique of Viktor Gyokeres, claiming the Arsenal striker "plays like a kid" and has not grasped what is required of him as a centre forward.

The former Tottenham forward's comments, made in an interview with Hajper and relayed by Metro, land at a moment when the Swede is already fighting for minutes at the Emirates.

"It shocks me that he's still playing like a kid," Sheringham said. "I don't think he has understood what it means to be an attacking player and what he has to do."

He continued: "There are different ways to play striker, but he needs to be told to hold onto the ball when it comes to him. He does some things well, but constantly gives the ball away and when you are 28 years old, you should have learned this a long time ago."

A stalled start to the season

Gyokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting CP last summer on the back of 97 goals in 102 appearances in Portugal, and returned 22 goals in all competitions during his debut campaign in English football.

This season has been a different story. Kai Havertz's return to form and fitness has seen the German established as Mikel Arteta's first-choice centre forward, and Gyokeres is yet to start a Premier League match in the current campaign.

The striker himself has been measured about the situation. "I haven't played a lot, but I've had a few games," he said. "It's felt okay then, but it's clear that I want to play football and as much as possible. Hopefully that will come, too. You always want to be on the field as a football player."

He added: "Of course you expect more playing time, but we have an extremely good squad with a lot of good players and have been doing well here at the start. I'm just trying to focus on what I can control and do my best to play more."

Four goals in four for Sweden

The international break offered Gyokeres a platform, and he took it, scoring four goals in four games for Graham Potter's Sweden.

Potter was glowing in his assessment of the 28-year-old. "The way he leads, how he gets all the players involved, how he gives us a completely different dimension to our game," the Sweden boss said. "That he's scoring again, he's in fantastic form."

It is a notably different reading of the same player to the one offered by Sheringham, whose criticism centres on ball retention and link-up play rather than finishing.

Arsenal host Leeds United on Saturday, and Gyokeres will be hoping his form on international duty translates into a recall to the starting XI against the newly promoted side.