Mikel Arteta has labelled Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe and ‘incredible talent’, even though he only made his first appearance of the season last night, as per his comments in Football London.
Smith-Rowe was finally backed to start for Arsenal last night in their Europa League clash with Molde and he rewarded his manager’s faith by putting in a strong showing.
The 20-year-old claimed an assist, as Arsenal won 3-0 in Norway.
And Arteta was full of praise for the attacking midfielder after the game.
“Emi is a player with incredible talent who just needs time,” Arteta said.
“He’s got the ability and the quality to play for this club. Mentally it’s always a challenge because the demands are so high and the pressure is high to play here. You need to hit those levels to become an Arsenal player.
“It’s down to him as well. I really like him and it’s a player that we had a little bit patient and we’ve got a great player there.”
With Arsenal struggling creatively in their first few Premier League games Smith-Rowe surely must be in Arteta’s consideration now.
The youngster looks simply too good for under-23 football, given his impressive performances in the Championship while on loan at Huddersfield Town last term.
Arteta has provided chances to the likes of Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah this term, and Smith-Rowe can’t be far away from joining them as a genuine first-team player.
Arsenal are next in action against Wolves, when it will be interesting to see if Smith-Rowe is backed with a place in the Gunners’ match day squad.
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