Wayne Rooney lauds ‘fantastic’ Arsenal star, who’s like a player that won CL at Liverpool

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Wayne Rooney has lauded the ‘fantastic’ Emile Smith Rowe at Arsenal, as he told Monday Night Football on Sky Sports (04/04/22 at 7:50 pm).

The Premier League legend added that he ‘really likes’ the Arsenal midfielder and compared him to Brighton’s, Adam Lallana, who won the Champions League and Premier League at Liverpool.

Whilst Mikel Arteta and his players endured a torrid evening at Crystal Palace last night, it doesn’t hide the fact that individuals like Smith Rowe have been outstanding this season.

Their Champions League hopes may have taken a hit after that 3-0 drubbing at Selhurst Park, but that fight to secure a top-four finish is still in their hands.

Nonetheless, Rooney, who is now in the dugout at financially-wrecked Derby County, shared what he likes about Smith Rowe’s game.

“I think he’s a fantastic young player,” said Rooney. “He’s actually a player, when I first went in as manager of Derby County, who I enquired about and tried to bring in on-loan.

“It didn’t get close because a week later he was playing in Arsenal’s first-team.

“But I think he can take the ball, both feet. Score goals. Create goals. I like him and he has a bright future.

On who ESR reminds him of: “He’s quite similar to Adam Lallana in how he runs with the ball, off both feet. He makes runs in-behind to get on the end of passes. He’s hard to pick up. I really like him.”

At the start of last season, Smith Rowe wasn’t anywhere near Arsenal’s first-team, as Arteta took it upon himself to leave himself without a creative player in the middle of the park.

Mesut Özil, who ended up leaving in January, wasn’t included in the Premier League squad, as the Gunners craved for some quick-thinking and creative talent.

Eventually, that came in the form of their Hale-End star, who since then, has become a key member of Arsenal’s first-team and now an England international.

Whilst Smith Rowe’s England status isn’t concrete, he does have a great chance of securing that all-important golden ticket to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.