Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live earlier today, Glenn Murray said he thinks Emile Smith Rowe will be feeling “pressure” at Arsenal.
What’s the story?
Well, the £42,000-a-week man was left out of the starting XI by Mikel Arteta once again as the Gunners romped to a 3-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Smith Rowe was given 16 minutes of action on the south coast, ten more than his six-minute cameo in the 4-2 win over Leicester last weekend.
In fairness, the England international struggled for fitness over pre-season, and was unable to be named in the squad for the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at the start of the season.
Nevertheless, Murray believes Smith Rowe will feel under “pressure” – although he has the perfect mentor to help him in Arteta.
The 38-year-old said: “Emile Smith Rowe will want to see action on the pitch, he’ll feel the pressure but Arsenal without a doubt the right place for him to progress his career. Mikel Arteta will look after him, put him in the right times, but now is just not his time.”
In our view, the 22-year-old just has to be patient.
Arteta is unlikely to change the starting XI when the Gunners are performing as well as they currently are, so Smith Rowe just needs to keep working hard at London Colney and take his chance when it comes.
The Arsenal No.10 was simply unfortunate to see his pre-season disrupted, although he has the talent to break back into the starting XI in no time.
Arsenal have a special talent in Emile Smith Rowe
How many under-23 prospects manage to score double figures in a single Premier League season?
Very few is the answer, although that is exactly what Smith Rowe did last term as he netted ten goals in 33 Premier League appearances.
The Hale End graduate outscored Phil Foden, Conor Gallagher, Romelu Lukaku and many other top-class players, so if he stays focused and works hard in training, Arteta will surely begin to start him once again.
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