Gyökeres has been in remarkable form this season, having scored a total of 32 goals across all competitions. Therefore, it came as a surprise when he was left on the bench during Wednesday’s Champions League match against RB Leipzig, a team that had not won a single game prior to this encounter. The official reason given for his absence from the starting lineup was that the 26-year-old striker had been dealing with fitness concerns, which resulted in him only playing the last 35 minutes of the match. Despite this, Gyökeres still managed to score his 32nd goal of the season, although his effort wasn’t enough to prevent Leipzig from securing a late victory, with Yussuf Poulsen scoring the decisive goal.
Gyökeres has previously stated his intention to complete the season with his current club, Sporting Lisbon, before making a decision regarding his long-term future in the summer. However, it now appears that his future will likely take him away from Portugal, as the 26-year-old has established himself as one of the best strikers in the world. His impressive performances have attracted interest from several top clubs, including Arsenal, Barcelona, and Manchester United, with the latter having a special connection for Gyökeres as he is managed by his former coach at Sporting, Ruben Amorim.
The Sweden international has also hinted strongly at which club he may be inclined to join. In an interview with UEFA’s website last month, Gyökeres mentioned that his childhood footballing idols were Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo. He stated, “The players I looked up to were Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Gyökeres elaborated on how these two football legends influenced his style of play, saying, “It’s about how they performed on the pitch. They always went the extra mile, which really impressed me. I wanted to replicate that and do similar things on the field.”
Both Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo had significant spells at Manchester United during their careers. Ronaldo, widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, made a name for himself at United before his high-profile transfer to Real Madrid in 2009 for a record-breaking £80 million. Ibrahimovic, on the other hand, joined Manchester United in 2016 on a free transfer and enjoyed a successful first season, scoring 28 goals in all competitions. However, his time at United was cut short due to a serious knee injury in April, which prevented him from playing a second full season with the club.
