Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was asked about the injury that Emile Smith Rowe picked up in the game against Leicester City on Sunday.
The young Englishman has been one of our best players since Boxing Day. He has played almost every game since and it was evident at the King Power stadium that the hectic schedule had taken its toll on his body.
Smith Rowe hobbled off injured after just 42 minutes. That struck fear in Arsenal fans because it looked like a muscular problem, and those injuries – as we saw with Thomas Partey – often take a while to heal.
Thankfully, it looks like it’s not a big issue.
The Arsenal boss confirmed today that the scan showed that Smith Rowe’s injury did not look like a significant one. However, the youngster is still in pain.
Arteta said, as per Arsenal.com: “Emile had a scan yesterday, it doesn’t look a significant injury but he was in discomfort.”
Arsenal Insider’s view:
It is a humongous boost for us that Smith Rowe hasn’t suffered a tear or something just as worse. it shouldn’t be long before he returns, but the fact that he is still feeling some discomfort is worrying.
Partey and Kieran Tierney’s injuries were also initially thought to be something small, but they turned out to be a lot worse. Arsenal fans and Arteta will be hoping that Smith Rowe doesn’t have to go through that, especially with the number of games we have coming up.
The young Englishman is one of our most important players. Martin Odegaard can fill the void, but having Smith Rowe available as well offers us a different type of energy in attacking midfield. That will be hugely important for us if we want to go all the way in the Europa League.
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