The Arsenal academy ace starred for the Gunners Under-23s the day before Unai Emery and co lock horns with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
A number of Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to comment on Emile Smith-Rowe’s performance for the Gunners Under-23s last night, as well as bemoaning the fact he played for them, suggesting he won’t make Unai Emery’s first-team squad for the Europa League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 19-year-old has played three times for the Arsenal first team so far this season, with two of those appearances coming in the Europa League, and despite missing some games with injury, he still featured for England’s Under-20 side during the international break.
On Wednesday night, Smith-Rowe got himself on the scoresheet in the 54th minute of the Premier League International Cup clash with Villarreal, after Nathan Tormey had opened the scoring for the young Gunners in the seventh minute, before Trae Coyle added a third goal in the 79th minute for a 3-0 triumph.
Smith-Rowe playing on Wednesday night and most likely not making the Arsenal squad for the Europa League game suggests Emery wants to pick a strong line-up as he bids to record a good result to save his job – or at least prolong his stay at the Emirates Stadium.
Some Gunners fans, however, disagreed with what appears to be an omission from the squad to face the Bundesliga side, and shared their thoughts on social media mid and post-match.
Here is some of the reaction on Twitter:
Smith-Rowe, a World Cup winner with England Under-17s, is described by the Arsenal website as a highly-rated midfielder that looks to orchestrate every attack, sharp on the turn, with an eye for goal and exceptional vision in the final third, and known for his mazy runs and stunning individual goals.
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