Arsenal's head coach, Mikel Arteta, has praised his newest recruit, Viktor Gyokeres, claiming the Sweden striker showed sheer determination in a bid to join the Gunners.
The 27-year-old recently completed a £63.5m transfer move to Arsenal from Sporting CP, and will don the legendary number 14 previously worn by Thierry Henry, Theo Walcott, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Eddie Nketiah and Nicolas Pepe.
Gyokeres took part in his first training session with the Gunners on their pre-season tour in Asia, and the mentality of the former Brighton and Hove Albion striker stood out to Mikel Arteta.
"I use the word conviction, and that's the first thing that I noticed when I spoke to him," said Arteta in a press conference in Hong Kong in quotes from Sky Sports.
"Someone very determined, someone that was already really attached to the club [with] the way he was talking about the club, the history and in this case Thierry [Henry's number] and what the shirt represented.
"He straight away felt it, and when you feel it, go for it."
Arsenal are set to take on Thomas Frank's Tottenham Hotspur at the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong, and Arteta is unsure if Gyokeres will feature in the pre-season fixture.
"He's only done today's session and yesterday very little.
"We're going to assess [on Wednesday night] how he is and if the medical staff are happy as well with his condition to participate in tomorrow's match, then it's a possibility. We're going to discuss that," Arteta concluded.
Speaking in the same press conference, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard says Gyokeres is already showing his quality in training, with the Norwegian describing his fellow Scandinavian team-mate as a "very complete player".
"I think you've all seen what he's done in his career so far," said Odegaard. "Especially the last season at Sporting, the numbers speak for themselves.
"He's a very complete player. He's physical, strong, fast, a good finisher, and intelligent as well.
"I think he's a very complete striker, and you can also see the hunger, the energy he brings. I'm really excited to have him with the team.
"He's only trained a few times, but you can already see the quality, the energy, and the willingness. I'm excited to have a pitch with him," Odegaard concluded.
Viktor Gyokeres has been tipped to be the vital difference maker in Arsenal's hunt for a Premier League title since 2004.
