Mikel Arteta has admitted that he already believed that Emile Smith Rowe was unlikely to last the full 90 minutes against Southampton on Tuesday, but played him regardless.
The attacking midfielder was left out of the FA Cup tie with injury, before being thrown straight back into the starting line-up last night, and the manager may have to take blame if he is now sidelined for longer.
ESR has been instrumental to a lot of our attacking play since emerging in the first-team, and will be missed, although Martin Odegaard’s signing earlier on today could well help us cover his absence if needed.
Did Arteta have no choice but to play Smith Rowe with no suitable cover available?
Patrick