Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, wants Emile Smith Rowe to make a significant contribution to the club and demonstrate why he is a “very important player” as he approaches his return to first-team action.
Smith Rowe, a key player for the Gunners in the 2021–2022 season, has been out for the majority of this campaign due to groine pain.
Arsenal lacks substantial depth in wide and attacking areas, unlike their Premier League title rivals Manchester City. The club is still hoping to sign winger Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk.
In order for Smith Rowe to regain the form that allowed him to emerge as one of the nation’s top young players last season, Arteta has challenged him to keep up with the tempo of his colleagues.
“He [Smith Rowe] knows that he has the space in the squad to fulfil his potential,” Arteta said. “We really like him, I really like him, and he is a very important player for us.
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“He knows that now he needs to jump on the train fast enough to have the impact that we all hope that he can have this season.
“He can play as a left attacking midfielder, on the right, he can play off the left as well. Those qualities within those units on the outside is something that he compliments really well with. We will exploit that.”
Discussing Smith Rowe’s long spell on the sidelines, Arteta added: “I think you have periods when it is a long injury like the one he had and there is a surgery in between.
“We have tried to be really close to him, to give him advice. He has been in different places as well.
“He has been really good. We have talked about his moods, his energy and how much he has to be living with the team in this period and he has been really good.”
On Monday night, when Arsenal travels to Oxford United in the FA Cup, Smith Rowe is anticipated to make his comeback.
