Why Viktor Gyokeres isn’t playing for Sweden against Hungary and Algeria

Sweden are without Viktor Gyokeres for their friendlies versus Hungary and Algeria (Picture: Getty)

Viktor Gyokeres suffered a ‘minor injury’ ahead of Sweden’s matches against Hungary and Algeria and will be playing no part in either international friendly.

The 26-year-old striker enjoyed a largely injury-free season at club level with Sporting, missing just one match as his side successfully defended their Primeira Liga title.

It was Gyokeres’ exploits in front of goal that helped steer Sporting to a domestic double, with the forward netting 54 times in 52 games across a phenomenal second year in Lisbon.

Gyokeres’ extraordinary numbers have naturally attracted the attentions of some of the biggest teams in Europe, with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Napoli all linked this summer.

However, Arsenal have emerged as the favourites to secure Gyokeres’ services having held initial discussions with the Swede’s agent in Portugal last month.

But Arsenal fans tuning in to watch Gyokeres versus Hungary in Budapest this evening will likely be disappointed given the prolific attacker left Sweden’s training camp with an unspecified injury earlier in the week.

The former Coventry City man will also miss his country’s clash with Algeria at Stockholm’s Strawberry Arena next Tuesday.

Gyokeres’ goals led Sporting to a domestic double last season (Picture: Getty) Arsenal are leading the race to sign the prolific Swede this summer (Picture: Getty)

‘He will leave the squad after dialogue with the national team’s medical team,’ a statement from the Swedish FA read on Tuesday.

‘He needs to rehabilitate a minor injury and is therefore not available for the upcoming international matches against Hungary and Algeria.

The friendly against Algeria represents the last chance for Sweden to fine-tune their preparations ahead of their opening World Cup qualifying match against Slovenia on September 5.

Gyokeres and Co also come up against Kosovo and Switzerland in Group B.

Gyokeres is considered one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe (Picture: Getty)

There have been some suggestions on social media that Gyokeres may have made himself unavailable for the double-header in order to stay fully fit ahead of a possible transfer move.

But Sweden head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson vehemently denied these rumours, stating: ‘No! He felt a small injury and our medical team was already aware of it and we decided, together, to release him.

‘I spoke to Viktor last week. He hasn’t trained much in the last few weeks and was feeling some discomfort because of a small injury.

‘I was happy to see him and have him with us in this training camp. It says a lot about Viktor, how much he wants to get involved.’

Tomasson dismissed rumours that Gyokeres had withdrawn from the squad to protect himself from injury (Picture: Getty)

With speculation and gossip swirling over his future, Gyokeres insists he is still yet to make a decision regarding his possible next steps.

‘We will see… nobody knows anything yet,’ Gyokeres said on the Flymoduspod podcast earlier this week.

‘I wish I had a more fun answer, but that’s all I can say for now.’

Gyokeres remains ‘very happy’ at Sporting, according to Borges (Picture: Getty)

It’s understood Sporting are now resigned to losing Gyokeres in the summer transfer market and will be holding out for a fee in the region of £60million for their prized possession.

Gyokeres’ current contract in the Portuguese capital runs through to June 2028.

‘He is very happy here,’ Sporting head coach Rui Borges told reporters when asked for an update on Gyokeres as they celebrated winning the Primeira Liga title.

‘He is very connected to the game, he wants to score and he is obsessed with it.

‘He is the best striker in Europe, as the numbers show,’ Borges added.

‘He will be attractive, but I believe that if he doesn’t leave Sporting, he will remain very committed to the club. He feels very happy here.’

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