Gael Clichy has suggested that Emile Smith Rowe is helping to bring back Arsenal’s ‘DNA’, as he told Stadium Astro.
The former left-back did warn, however, that Smith Rowe needs to be protected, but he is just an example that Arsenal’s academy is ‘working’.
Smith Rowe has probably been Arsenal’s best player this season and the 21-year-old is only getting better by the day.
He scored for his boyhood club on Friday night, as they eased past Aston Villa on home soil.
There is still a long way to go for the expert ball-carrier and Clichy warned about easing him into the big picture.
“Even though it’s great to see young players taking responsibility and carrying a team,” said Clichy. “But you don’t want that through the whole season.
“Even more so, when the results aren’t great. You want to protect those players because you don’t want them to get burnt too quickly or bored, in a way where they don’t want to play anymore.
“It’s very draining to be able to maintain that performance at such a young age, so for me, it’s great to see that because it’s proved that the academy is working well.
“You need DNA back to Arsenal and they are the guys that are going to bring this back. But you need to protect them.”
Smith Rowe isn’t the only Arsenal academy product that is shining bright because Bukayo Saka would argue that he is ahead of him.
Well, he certainly is on the international stage because Saka is now an England regular, something Smith Rowe aspires to push towards.
For the forthcoming international matches next month, Smith Rowe is, so far, putting forward a strong argument to be selected.
Someone like Jesse Lingard, who got back into Gareth Southgate’s plans before Euro 2020, isn’t getting the minutes at Old Trafford, so that’s one player the Arsenal midfielder can push ahead of.
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