The talent scout who first spotted Manchester United's transfer target Viktor Gyokeres has admitted the star striker was far from the finished product when he first discovered him.
Gyokeres has risen to the top of Ruben Amorim's wish list after the Red Devils head coach had a successful spell with the talented Swedish forward at Sporting CP, and he is now keen to strengthen United's struggling frontline. Gyokeres made his mark on British football fans after an impressive run at Coventry City, where his goalscoring prowess led to Amorim signing him up for his former team.
Since then, the 26-year-old has turned heads with a string of remarkable performances, not least a hat-trick in the Champions League against Manchester City earlier this season. Europe's crème de la crème has now set his sights on the striker after taking the title of the continent's top scorer in 2024, although a move to Old Trafford this month looks highly unlikely, especially after Amorim vowed not to leave his former side immediately plunder.
While Gyokeres' innate ability has always been evident, the scout who discovered the striker admits he was something of a hidden gem. David Eklund first encountered a 12-year-old Gyokeres playing for the Swedish fourth-tier team Aspudden-Tellus.
Eklund saw potential in the young striker and brought him to Brommapojkarna, a club that plays in the Swedish top flight, the Allsvenskan. However, Eklund could not have predicted the heights Gyokeres would reach, especially given his initially limited technical ability, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“He wasn't very good on the ball,” Eklund told Flashscore. “We had players who were skilled with the ball and he was decent, nothing spectacular, but if you put him in the penalty area and gave him the ball he found the back of the net.
“He excelled at that. I think everyone saw him as a competent player, but he wasn't the shining star of the academy. He was solid, he found the target and that's why I saw potential in him. He was a robust player, adept at finishing, adept at scoring goals.
Gyokeres defied his coaches' expectations when he left Sweden for Brighton in 2017 after scoring 25 goals in 67 games for Brommapojkarna. In his debut season with the Seagulls, he scored seven goals out of nine for the U23 team and one goal for the first team in a League Cup match.
A loan spell at Bundesliga side St. Pauli followed, where his seven goals earned him another loan spell, this time to Swansea City. However, it was his move to Coventry that really turned heads after he scored an impressive 43 goals in 116 appearances.
Gyokeres' rise is closely tied to his attitude, a trait that wasn't immediately apparent, Eklund noted. The scout believes that the striker's time in England has shaped him into the formidable goalscorer he is today.
“When he was young, he didn't talk much. He was nice and friendly to his teammates,” Eklund said. “When he left for England he realized he had to be tougher.”
Gyokeres has sharpened his game and it has paid off, with an impressive tally of 73 goals from 78 starts for the Portuguese club. The Sporting ace, who appears determined to take his career further than his current club, has a hefty £83million release clause.
While United may not sign him in January, there are rumors that Sporting could be open to negotiations in the region of £60 million (€70 million) next summer, according to The Athletic, should Amorim seek a reunion with the productive keep an eye on rush hour.