Arteta provides telling response to Gyokeres question ahead of Arsenal clash

Mikel Arteta is a big fan of Viktor Gyokeres but refuses to even mention the name of the Sporting Lisbon sensation.

The Swedish forward has been in brilliant form since joining Portugal from Coventry just under 18 months ago. He scored 67 goals in just 69 games in all competitions for Sporting.

And that shape has attracted admiring glances from elsewhere. Manchester United have been linked and are expected to target him after picking his former manager Ruben Amorim.

Premier League rivals Manchester City and Arsenal are also among those interested. And while the Gunners are keen to lure him to the Emirates Stadium in the future, their job will be to keep the striker quiet in this week's Champions League showdown.

Arteta has praised Gyokeres but declined to undertake a detailed analysis of his abilities, possibly in an attempt to keep his cards close to his chest. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: “I would like to talk about the team, about the coaches and how phenomenal they have been.

“The run they're on is incredible. I understand the question, but they have many individual qualities. And yes, they have great players at that specific position.”

Outside of Arsenal, there have already been a number of hints about a possible move to United in the future. Ahead of his own move to Old Trafford, Amorim confirmed that a move for his former star was not on the immediate agenda.

He said: “If I start making jokes about the situation in Gyokeres, I will get into trouble. This is my city, this is my country, so I will respect it. Viktor has to stay until the end of the season and then his life will probably go somewhere else.”

Gyokeres has also spoken out about his future. He confirmed that he had not spoken to Amorim about a possible reunion in Manchester.

Speaking to Fotboll Skanaal, the striker said: “He probably already has some attackers there, so we'll see. 'No, he hasn't [asked me to join him]. It's fun, but I don't attach any importance to it because it's talk and nothing concrete.”

Gyokeres is not the only current Sporting star United have been linked with since Amorim's move. The Red Devils also have prodigy Geovany Quenda in their sights, while Ousmane Diomande is also reportedly on their shortlist.