In the world of soccer, the role of the traditional striker has often been overshadowed. This has been led by the rise of versatile forwards who can contribute to various aspects of the game. However, recent performances from the teammate of Neymar Jr., Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland have caught the attention of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. And these players have led him to believe that the position of the traditional striker is making a comeback.

Neymar, who is not a striker, has been going through a rough patch since his return from injury. He has been struggling to find his form and is yet to score for his new team, Al Hilal. On the other hand, Mitrovic, who was also a part of Europe’s exodus to Saudi Arabia and signed with Al Hilal this summer, has been in scintillating form.

The work of Mitrovic and Haaland impressed Mikel Arteta

With a market value of $64 million, Mitrovic left Fulham to join Al Hilal, and his impact has been immediate. In just five matches in the Saudi Pro League, he has already found the back of the net five times. His performances have not gone unnoticed, especially by the Arsenal boss. Arteta, in a recent statement, praised Mitrovic and used him as an example to highlight the return of the traditional striker in modern soccer.

The Arsenal coach stated, “I think the real traditional striker has returned to football”. He went on to mention Harry Kane, the Bayern Munich striker, as another prime example of a traditional striker. Arteta’s belief in the resurgence of the traditional striker does not stop there. He also acknowledged the talents of rival stars, Erling Haaland, Manchester United‘s Rasmus Højlund, and Brentford’s Ivan Toney.

These players, according to Arteta, exemplify the qualities of a traditional striker and are shifting the focus back to this position in the game. The modern game has seen a shift towards multi-dimensional forwards who can contribute in different ways. However, Arteta’s praise for the traditional striker demonstrates the value of having a pure goalscorer leading the line.

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While Mitrovic is receiving praise from various sources, his teammate Neymar has been facing intense scrutiny recently. So much so that he recently even had an outburst on social media.

Neymar shuts down rumors of rift with the manager

In recent times, there have been rumors circulating about a deteriorating relationship between Neymar and manager Jorge Jesus. In response to these speculations, the Brazilian superstar took to Instagram to clarify the situation. He strongly denied the rumors and labeled them as “fake news”.

Neymar addressed the speculations with a comment on Instagram, stating, “Lies… Y’all got to stop believing these things, pages like this… with millions of followers, you can’t keep posting fake news! With all due respect in the world, I ask you to stop this. This is a lot of disrespect”. The 31-year-old remains determined to perform well under his manager. Although he has yet to score his first goal, his fans are hopeful that it will happen soon.

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