Gabby Agbonlahor now doesn’t think Mikel Arteta trusts 23-year-old Arsenal man

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Pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has suggested that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta might not trust Emile Smith Rowe after barely using him this season.

Agbonlahor was speaking on TalkSPORT (4/10 6:15am) after Arsenal’s disappointing 2-1 defeat to Lens.

Gabriel Jesus gave Arsenal the lead in France with a well-taken goal in the first half before Adrien Thomasson pegged them back just 10 minutes later.

A beautifully taken goal from summer Tottenham target Elye Wahi ended up deciding the tie.

One of the big talking points was the injury to Bukayo Saka who limped off before half-time.

He was always going to be a doubt after failing to play 90 minutes against Bournemouth when he also didn’t look fully fit.

Gabby Agbonlahor has now said that the fact Mikel Arteta didn’t feel like he could use Emile Smith Rowe or Reiss Nelson instead of resting Saka is a worrying sign.

There have been question marks over Smith Rowe’s future at the Emirates after he failed to start a single league game last season.

He was linked with a move away in the summer and those rumours haven’t gone away.

It might be time for the England international to demand more minutes or consider his future in North London.

Agbonlahor unsure if Arteta trusts Smith Rowe

Reflecting on yesterday’s defeat and the impact of Saka’s injury, Agbonlahor said: “For one, he should have rested him [against Bournemouth] and two he didn’t even bring him off as the first sub when they were up 3-0.

“He didn’t even bring him off first. It’s like, know your games, Bournemouth, you’re telling me [Emile] Smith Rowe, [Reiss] Nelson, these squad players aren’t good enough to come in and get the result.

“You know you’ve got Champions League, you’ve got the biggest game of the season against Manchester City, where you’re going to need your strongest side.

“Your best chance to beat Man City with the injuries they’ve got and the players not available.”

Agbonlahor is right that Arteta needs to seriously start thinking about playing Smith Rowe more often.

Although he might not be seen as a natural Saka replacement on the right, it’s a role he played with some success for England’s Under-21s in the summer.

Reiss Nelson is in a similar position and Arteta’s lack of willingness to rotate may have left some important options lacking the required match sharpness to be thrown into games like the one last night.

All eyes will be on his team selection at the weekend if Saka’s long run of consecutive league matches comes to an end.