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Andries Jonker has claimed that he previously thought Arsenal attacker Emile Smith Rowe would end up developing into a right-back later in his career.

Jonker, who was the Gunners academy manager between 2014 and 2017, worked alongside Smith Rowe when he was coming through the youth ranks.

Smith Rowe, who now earns £20,000-a-week (Spotrac), is very much a creative player.

He’s got the quality to drift into wide areas, but he’s really excelling in a creative number 10 position linking the play in the final third with his passing, vision and quick dribbling.

The 20-year-old academy graduate has developed into a first-team regular at the Emirates Stadium, enjoying a strong individual season at present in Mikel Arteta’s side.

It seems impossible to picture the English youngster slotting into defence, so it shows how much he’s developed since his early days in the academy.

“We always played with the youth teams in a 1-4-3-3 and he was always right winger. Every now and then he might be in the No 10 position, but basically he was a right winger,” Jonker said, as quoted by Sky Sports.

“In those days, I thought maybe his best position would be right full-back. But now he is playing in the offensive part of the team.’’

TBR’s View:

If Arsenal fans were voting for their player of the season so far, it would no surprise if Smith Rowe ended up with a podium finish for his impact this season.

He no longer feels like one of the promising talents at the north London club, and has done a lot of maturing quickly.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the kind of player Smith Rowe will turn out to be, but whatever happens it’s likely he’ll operate in tight pockets of space trying to create pieces of attacking magic.