Sweden national team coach Graham Potter has encouraged Viktor Gyökeres to put aside Arsenal's early season struggles and external criticism.

In his debut season at Arsenal, Gyökeres scored 21 goals across all competitions and won a Premier League title.

However, the Swedish international was benched for Arsenal's first two Premier League matches of the new season and came off the bench for only 12 minutes against Chelsea.

Mikel Arteta gave Gyökeres his first start in Arsenal's Champions League group stage opener against Napoli last week, but the forward struggled and was subsequently benched again.

Gyökeres has been called up for Sweden's upcoming Nations League squad, and Potter discussed his form, saying: "That's how things are, there are ups and downs, and life is like that too."

"He's a Premier League winner and has scored many goals for Arsenal as a striker."

"He performed incredibly well in the World Cup qualifiers, and his World Cup performance was also excellent."

"Players at this level will always face criticism at some point, but there's nothing wrong with him personally."

Potter said he would create the "best possible environment" for Gyökeres to help the forward regain his form.

"We really like Viktor, and he enjoys his time with the national team," added the former Chelsea and Brighton manager.

"We will create the best conditions for him so that he can continue to perform at a top level."

When asked how he plans to rebuild Gyökeres' confidence, Potter replied: "Like I said, this is part of a footballer's career.

Circumstances can change in an instant, and we just need to face it. Sometimes a change of environment can help a player.

We are all very much looking forward to Viktor joining the national team, and we will help him enjoy football again."

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