Mikel Arteta says Arsenal have a player with ‘all the ability in the world’ who gives ‘something different’

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has waxed lyrical about Gunners playmaker Emile Smith Rowe following his impressive breakthrough this season.

The 20-year-old has had to bide his time at the Emirates Stadium, with just two Premier League appearances prior to last Christmas.

However, Arteta named him in the starting XI against Chelsea on Boxing Day – his full Premier League debut – and the rest is history.

Smith Rowe repaid his manager’s faith with a superb performance, helping the Gunners run out 3-1 winners and effectively turn their season round.

He has been a near ever-present since that win and his superb form has been rewarded with a first call-up to the England Under-21 international squad.

Smith Rowe shone on loan at Huddersfield last season and, when he returned to Arsenal ahead of the new campaign, his progress was clear to Arteta.

“You saw his reaction, the way he played when he was on loan, and when he came in in pre-season, he was ready,” the Gunners manager told Sky Sports.

“He was really unlucky because he was out for three, three-and-a-half months with a shoulder injury.

“But the moment that he was back in training, we had to find the right moment to throw him in because you could see he was going to give us something different.

“He’s got all the ability in the world to do that in a consistent way and then as well it’s his intelligence, it’s how much he can read, understand and affect the game to make better decisions with the quality he has.”

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Following Bukayo Saka’s stellar breakthrough last season, Smith Rowe has become the latest Hale End star to break into the senior team and have a major impact.

In the first half of the season, Arsenal were desperate for a No. 10 and Smith Rowe was just what they needed – now they have two, with Martin Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid.