‘A good thing’: Charles Watts shares Arsenal fitness update which offsets ESR blow

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal have been dealt a big blow with Emile Smith Rowe set for a spell on the sidelines.

On Thursday, the Gunners confirmed in a statement on their website that the 22-year-old has undergone surgery.

Smith Rowe has been experiencing discomfort in his groin in recent months.

And over the past few days, the Arsenal academy graduate underwent surgery to repair a damaged tendon in his groin.

Smith Rowe is expected to be out until December and, due to the World Cup, may not feature for Arsenal until after Christmas.

Mikel Arteta now has some thinking to do in terms of cover on the left wing ahead of a very busy period ahead of the Qatar World Cup.

Gabriel Martinelli has been playing – and excelling – there, but he can’t play in every single game.

Charles Watts, speaking on his YouTube channel, has suggested Oleksandr Zinchenko and Reiss Nelson as possible cover.

Nelson has been on the sidelines for a while, but recently made his return to action.

And though the 22-year-old is largely a right-winger, he can also play on the left, said the Goal.com correspondent.

“Reiss Nelson is now back, which is a good thing,” Watts said.

“He’s trained all week, came back before the international break and he’s been training all through that break as well.

“So he’s fit again. He’s better on the right hand side but he can play on the left, so that is going to be another option for Mikel Arteta.”

Nelson hasn’t played a competitive game for Arsenal since coming off the bench against Brentford in the first game of last season.

He will be hoping to change that over the coming days and weeks.