Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres 'hurt' after Man United decision ahead of Old Trafford clash

Manchester United were reportedly caught off guard after learning that Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres felt disappointed by their apparent lack of pursuit during the summer window.

During his stint at Sporting Lisbon, the Swedish forward established himself as a key figure, netting 97 goals across 102 outings for the Portuguese side. The majority of those strikes came whilst the current United head coach, Ruben Amorim, occupied the dugout at the Lisbon outfit.

Whenthe Reds moved to secure Amorim's services following Erik ten Hag's exit, speculation quickly intensified. With United requiring a fresh No.9, many anticipated they would table an offer for Gyokeres.

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That approach never materialised. As football.london understands, United believed any pursuit would prove pointless given his apparent desire to join the Emirates Stadium club.

Yet the Daily Mail reported on Saturday evening that they were surprised when Gyokeres expressed frustration that his former manager hadn't attempted to bring him to Old Trafford.

During his pre-match media briefing at Carrington, Amorim faced questions regarding Gyokeres but opted for a concise response. "That is a question for Mikel [Arteta]," he stated.

"Viktor is in a different league. Sporting have good scouting because they live from the players they can buy and sell to survive.

"I think he's a very good player. It's not a surprise to see him with a big club in England."

United eventually splashed out on RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who was, ironically, a target for Arsenal both this year and last. Commenting on his new centre-forward, Amorim stated: "I think he has great potential in everything he does.

"He can play different types of football. He's going to feel that the Premier League is really aggressive, he's going to learn, but he has a great potential and I can see Ben being a striker for Manchester United for a lot of years.

"That's why we paid so much money - to have a striker that will have his history in our club. The guy is always thinking about football.

"He's really obsessed by that and that is a good thing because you don't have to think about that aspect with that young guy. I don't need to tell Ben: 'This is Manchester United, a lot of pressure, you have to perform, you need to be ready for the physicality, we need to be ready for every game, it's like do-or-die'.

"With that guy, I have not that concern. I have the opposite, [he needs to] enjoy [himself] a little bit.

"He's listening, and he wants to perform, so that is really good."