‘People might not know’: Arsenal star says he’s been playing with an injury for years now

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Arsenal overcame Oxford United last night to secure their place in the next round of the FA Cup.

A Mohamed Elneny header and brace from Eddie Nketiah earned Mikel Arteta’s side a 3-0 win.

Speaking to The Independent, one of Arsenal’s returning stars spoke after the game about his fitness.

It was a chance for Arteta to give some of his fringe players an opportunity to stretch their legs in a competitive match.

Elneny’s return at the base of Arsenal’s midfield was a welcome one, and Fabio Vieira impressed as an advanced playmaker.

He was eventually replaced by Marquinhos late on, who enjoyed another first team cameo.

Another player who came off the bench was Emile Smith Rowe.

The 22-year-old replaced Bukayo Saka just before Nketiah’s second goal to play his first minutes since September.

It was a welcome sight for many Arsenal fans, who had been waiting to see the Hale End graduate return for a long time.

Smith Rowe admitted after the game that he had been suffering with the same injury for years.

However, he was finally glad to be back in action and playing football pain-free.

Smith Rowe admits being injured for years

Speaking to The Independent about his fitness, Smith Rowe said: “A lot of people might not know, but I have had this injury since I was 18, 19,” he said.

“It has been quite hard to deal with it over the years. But I am really happy that it is just finally over. I had a successful surgery and I am really feeling really good.

“It was the exact same pain from back then, which has been quite hard to manage. Obviously, a lot of people might not know about that from over the years. But I am just happy to come out the other side fully fit.

“I have been itching to get out there and play with the boys, I hope I can make an impact. I hope we can have a great rest of the season.”

Smith Rowe’s return is a real boost for Arsenal after such a long time out.

Sacrificing several months of action this season to fix a problem that has been bugging him for so long appears to be the right course of action.

Smith Rowe was part of the training camp that went to Dubai last month, and seems to have benefitted from being around the squad even when injured.

Arteta will now have to decide whether to ease Smith Rowe back from injury slowly, or throw him in against Tottenham on Sunday.