Ultimately, neither striker decisively shone, but United fans may take encouragement from Šeško’s cameo, while Arsenal may need to rethink Gyökeres’ involvement moving forward.
Arsenal’s new striker Viktor Gyökeres and Manchester United’s Benjamin Šeško both made their Premier League debuts in a high-profile clash at Old Trafford, though neither fully impressed.
Mikel Arteta started Gyökeres ahead of Kai Havertz, but the Swedish forward endured a frustrating 60 minutes. While effective at holding play and drawing fouls, he struggled with poor touches and registered just 21 touches, nine passes and no shots before being replaced. Former coach Ruben Amorim had warned that “the Premier League is a different beast entirely,” and Gyökeres found that to be true in a difficult debut.
Šeško, introduced in the second half, offered Manchester United a focal point alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. Though he could not overcome Arsenal defenders William Saliba and Gabriel, the Slovenian showed flashes by distributing wide and creating minor chaos in the box.
Ultimately, neither striker decisively shone, but United fans may take encouragement from Šeško’s cameo, while Arsenal may need to rethink Gyökeres’ involvement moving forward.