Date: 4th August 2022 at 8:00pm
Written by:

Midfielder Emile Smith Rowe is set to miss Arsenal’s opening game of the season against Crystal Palace on Friday.

THE LOWDOWN: CONTINUED ABSENCE

Emile Smith Rowe had a decent campaign under Mikel Arteta last season despite Arsenal failing in their bid to nick Champions League qualification. The attacking midfielder scored 10 goals and made two assists from 33 appearances in the Premier League last season.

Since making his debut, ESR has continued to grow in leaps and bounds with this Arsenal team. Sadly, he has been unavailable for the entirety of the preseason preparations due to a nagging groin issue.

THE LATEST: MISSING OPENER

Emile Smith Rowe is currently absent with a groin issue, and he won’t be involved for Arsenal’s trip to face Crystal Palace on Friday.

“I am going to be training this week, so hopefully I can be back with the team (soon),” Smith Rowe told the Evening Standard.

“It’s just my groin at the moment, I am getting a bit of pain in there. It’s getting better and I should be back soon.”

Smith Rowe didn’t play in any of the Gunners’ matches in the US tour and was also absent from the squad for the Emirates Cup win over Sevilla last Saturday. He last played against FC Nurnberg in Germany on July 8.

THE VERDICT: SQUAD PLAYER

Given that he didn’t feature as much as he would have loved to do in the preseason preparation, Smith Rowe will have to spend some time on the sidelines as he hopes to make another mark this season.

His continued absence has left Arsenal with the choice of Gabriel Martinelli flourishing out wide, while newly named captain Martin Odegaard is expected to keep playing behind Gabriel Jesus for the time being.

Ideally, Arsenal would also have Smith Rowe available as an alternative option on matchday, especially with the return of Europa League football taking up many midweeks.

But Mikel Arteta has enough options to get him through this Friday, after which Smith Rowe is set to be back involved again.

 

Comments are closed.