irst and foremost, we need him to be fit and at his best, especially since we have been missing an incredible player in recent months. If he trains properly, he should be able to contribute to the game.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that he is hopeful Emile Smith Rowe will be able to play in the Gunners’ FA Cup third round match against Oxford United on Monday night.
The Hale End academy graduate hasn’t played for the club since September, when he underwent groin surgery that kept him out for more than three months. Fortunately for Emirates fans, Smith Rowe is making good progress and has been back in training with the first team in recent weeks.
While a full 90-minute appearance is unlikely for Smith Rowe, Arteta told reporters that he is nearly finished with his rehabilitation and could play in Monday night’s cup game at Kassam Stadium.
“If he trains properly, he should be able to contribute something to the game “The Gunners manager spoke highly of the 22-year-old.
“First and foremost, we need him to be fit and at his best, especially since we have been missing an incredible player in recent months. If he trains properly, he should be able to contribute to the game.”
When it came time to talk about the position Smith Rowe could take, Arteta made sure to keep all options open, saying: “He can play as an attacking midfielder, a winger, and even as a nine, which he has done in the past.
Smith Rowe was one of Arsenal’s standout performers last season, but injuries have caused him to fade into obscurity, especially given how impressive the rest of the Gunners midfield has been this season.
Club captain Martin Odegaard has arguably been the Gunners’ player of the season, and Arsenal also spent £34 million last summer on another attacking midfielder in Fabio Vieira.
Smith Rowe and Vieira could line up together against Oxford, with Arteta admitting Arsenal are eager to continue their love affair with the competition.
“The FA Cup is obviously a competition associated with this club’s successful history, so we’ll have a good start and a good test on Monday,” the Gunners manager said of the competition. “To win the match, we must take the competition and our opponent seriously and play well at a high level.
“It’s a competition we’re really looking forward to playing in, and it brings back a lot of memories for our football club and team, because we won it not long ago, but also how we exited the competition last year. It’s a competition in which we’d like to participate and compete.”