Emile Smith Rowe starred in Arsenal’s win over Luton (Picture: Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta has urged Emile Smith Rowe to use the disappointment of a difficult last two seasons to his benefit and continue the impressive form he showed in the recent win over Luton.
The 23-year-old looked set to be an integral figure for the GUnners after making a breakthrough in the 2020/21 season as he made 20 Premier League appearances and then really built on that the following year.
In the 2021/22 campaign Smith Rowe turned out 33 times in the top flight, scoring 10 goals, and picked up his first three England caps.
However, injuries, a loss of form and competition for places have all cost the Englishman and he did not make a single Premier League start last season and has managed just 11 league appearances during the current campaign.
He did return to the starting XI against Luton on Wednesday, though, and was thoroughly impressive in the 2-0 win.
Arteta hopes that he uses the tough times to motivate himself, rather than looking back on the negatives of a disappointing two years.
‘I just look at him and what happened in the last two seasons, but also what happened in the last three seasons as well,’ said the Arsenal boss. ‘It’s the best thing that happened in his career. Don’t say “what if”, use it.’
Arteta mixed up his starting XI in Arsenal’s win over Luton (Picture: Getty Images)
On Smith Rowe looking more positive against the Hatters, Arteta was glad to see it, not only from him but also Reiss Nelson, who returned to the starting line-up as well.
‘You could see that,’ Arteta said of Smith Rowe’s boost in morale. ‘I think a good example is Reiss as well. The previous game he is not in the squad and the next game he’s ready to start.
‘I’m really pleased with that reaction and then Emile was really strong in the game.’
Injuries have played a big part in Smith Rowe’s struggles and he thanked the staff at Arsenal for helping him through a difficult patch.
‘I’ve been through quite a lot over the past couple of seasons,’ he said. ‘I had surgery for the first time as well and that was a difficult step for me. Going through that was hard, and of course, you have your family and friends around you, but at the club, all the staff and players helped me so much too.
‘You have tough days when you’re injured, and you can’t be with the players on the training pitches, but it was important for me to stay involved, keep in touch with everyone, to be present, go to all the meetings even when I wasn’t fit so that I could stay on top of everything. Even if I couldn’t be on the pitch, I wanted to be involved, and the staff were so important. I can’t thank them enough for what they did for me during my rehab.’
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