Former Coventry teammate Josh Eccles joked that the celebration could reference Hannibal Lecter, a film character known for his dark past. “Hannibal eats people, and Viktor destroys defenses,” Eccles said.

Sporting assistant boss Tiago Teixeira has played down speculation linking Viktor Gyokeres with a big-money January move, insisting the striker remains ‘very happy’ at the club. Gyokeres, 26, is regarded as one of the most sought-after attacking players in European football thanks to his extraordinary goalscoring exploits at Sporting over the last two seasons,