Emile Smith Rowe made his return to action on Monday night as he started for the Arsenal Under-21s against Chelsea.
It’s an incredibly frustrating season for the 22-year-old, who has had just 63 minutes of first-team action and is yet to make a start for Mikel Arteta’s side this campaign.
Groin surgery in September kept Smith Rowe out until January, when he made his return off the bench in the FA Cup against Oxford. A thigh injury has kept him out for another six weeks though, with Leandro Trossard providing the only real depth in forward options.
However, Smith Rowe started for the U21 side against Chelsea, coming off at half-time as the Gunners went on to lose the match 1-0.
Arteta will be hoping the Smith Rowe will soon be ready to return to the first team and make up for lost time, providing another option in forward areas as well as potentially in midfield.
Jakub Kiwior also started for the Gunners at Kingsmeadow, with the January signing looking to make an impression. The 23-year-old arrived for a fee in the region of £20million last month, but is still waiting to make his Arsenal debut.
The Gunners have six matches before the international break at the end of March. Two of those come in the Europa League against Sporting, with both Smith Rowe and Kiwior potentially featuring in those games.
