Emile Smith-Rowe has emerged as one of Arsenal’s brightest prospects this season under Unai Emery.
The 18-year-old midfielder made his senior debut for the Gunners, coming on as a late sub in the club’s 4-2 Europa league win over Vorskla at the Emirates on September 20th, and made a real impression amongst the Arsenal faithful.
Smith-Rowe has made five further appearances since his debut in September and scored two goals as well.
However, Smith-Rowe has yet to feature in the Premier League and with the fixture list due to pile up in the upcoming weeks, should Emery put more trust in the teenager and give him more opportunities in the first-team?
From what I’ve seen of the youngster this season, I think Emery should give him a shot in the Premier League, especially in the lesser games at home. There are players currently in the starting line-up that haven’t been performing well enough to warrant keeping their places in the side, namely Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Smith-Rowe has the ability and attributes to contribute to this current Arsenal side, as proven from his displays already his season. Yes, he still lacks experience and can improve in some areas of his game, but Emery should give him some game time in the Premier League in the upcoming weeks to not only hand Smith-Rowe more opportunities in the senior side, but to also show others who aren’t playing well that their place in the team is not guaranteed.
Rotation is key at this stage of the season, and Smith-Rowe has shown he is capable of delivering for Emery, who should certainly consider utilizing the youngster more in the near future.
