Mikel Arteta reacts to Smith Rowe and Kiwior playing for Arsenal under-21s

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was delighted to see Emile Smith Rowe and Jakob Kiwior feature for the under-21s yesterday.

Arteta was speaking to the press, via Football London, ahead of the Gunners clash with Everton.

It’s a huge game in the race for the Premier League title.

Arsenal are already two points clear of Manchester City, and could use this game in hand to extend that lead.

They’ll be out for revenge after a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park earlier this month.

Mikel Arteta’s side were way off par that day, and James Tarkowski made them pay from a set piece.

Arsenal’s form has since picked up, with back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Leicester.

Arteta has a decision to make on who will start in attack, after dropping Eddie Nketiah at the weekend.

Paul Merson has suggested that the young forward is sure to start, but it would hard to see Leandro Trossard being dropped.

Arteta could soon have another two players at his disposal in Emile Smith Rowe and Jakub Kiwior.

The pair were back in action last night and will want to be involved in first-team action soon.

Arteta reacts to Smith Rowe and Kiwior under-21 performance

Asked about the pair’s performance last night, Arteta said:

“They needed some minutes and it was great to see them on the pitch.”

Kiwior arrived from Spezia in January, but has yet to feature for the first-team despite impressing staff.

He’s been on the bench for every Premier League game since signing, but will be lacking some match sharpness.

Smith Rowe has endured a much more frustrating time, being unavailable for chunks of the campaign due to injury.

The 22-year-old has played just five league games, but was on the bench against Leicester at the weekend.

The pair both played the first-half of the match before being replaced, meaning they should be fitness enough to feature tomorrow if called upon.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t stop the young Gunners falling to a late 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Arteta will want both Smith Rowe and Kiwior up to speed in case any of his starting line-up suffer setbacks of their own.

The likelihood is that they’re both much more likely to feature in the Europa League instead.