Viktor Gyokeres will hope to keep his place in the starting lineup when Arsenal take on Everton this weekend

Anders Limpar has suggested that Mikel Arteta change the formation to get the best out of Viktor Gyokeres. Since replacing Unai Emery in the dugout at the Emirates Stadium in December 2019, the Spaniard has generally preferred to deploy a single striker and a pair of wingers, meaning at least two or three forwards often have to sit on the bench.

Gyokeres was tasked with bolstering Arsenal's frontline when he arrived from Sporting last year, but he's struggled to make a strong impression, essentially becoming an understudy to Kai Havertz. The Sweden international has featured 64 times across all competitions for the Gunners since touching down in north London, scoring just 21 goals and only providing four assists.

He did, though, catch the eye in the 2-2 draw to Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, combining well with Declan Rice, who equalised late in the second half. Gyokeres staked a claim for a place in the starting lineup on Saturday afternoon, when Arsenal hosts Everton.

Limpar, who mentored Viktor Gyokeres during his formative years at Brommapojkarna in Sweden, has encouraged the Gunners boss to deploy a two-striker formation to get the best out of his attacking options.

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"When I see Viktor playing for Sweden, he is much better because he’s playing with two up front, and he was brought up in the Swedish system, playing with two forwards," the former Arsenal winger told Betarades. "Playing up front on his own is hard for him because it’s not his game to be a target player.

"He is good going forward, chasing the ball, and he’s a threat on counterattacks, so he needs a player who is a really good target so he can play off them. At the moment, you can see that he’s struggling a little bit when it comes to receiving the ball, to pass the ball around.

"It might be nerves, or that he’s not comfortable coming off the bench. But you should never ever go out in the press saying that you want to leave or that you want to play every game.

"That’s not good for Arteta, that’s not good for him, and that’s not good for the club. I’m pretty sure that all the Arsenal players are squad players."

Limpar added: "If you ask me if I want him to play, then yes, I think he should play as a starter. I think he should be a starter, especially now when Kai has struggled a little bit in the last couple of games, but we have to wait and see who is playing the next game."

The Swede, who featured 116 times for Arsenal and helped George Graham win the First Division in 1990/91, continued: "When it comes to Viktor, he had such an unbelievable year last year.

"He knocked in 21 goals, and everybody wants him to play, of course, but we don’t see these guys in training every day. He could be struggling with a little knock or an injury, or he might be out of form.

"We don’t know what’s happened behind the curtains. Arteta is playing Kai Havertz at the moment because he thinks Kai Havertz is better for Arsenal at the moment, and Viktor will have to wait for his chance and take it when it comes..."