Emile Smith Rowe demanded a decision on surgery in the hope of ending his injury nightmare.
The Arsenal midfielder won’t play again until 2023 after going under the knife to fix a long-standing groin issue. The England International suffered what the club described as a “significant setback” during a 16-minute cameo against Manchester United on September 4 during the 3-1 defeat.
The 22-year-old had managed less than 45 minutes of Premier League action - across three matches - before the encounter at Old Trafford and after further consultations with specialists and discussions with club staff, went under the knife in London earlier this week to repair a damaged tendon in his groin.
Smith Rowe had been suffering with the recurring problem during pre-season and attempted to play through the pain, while managing the issue. Having enjoyed a breakout season last term, with 10 goals and two assists in 33 league matches, he was hoping to kick on in 2022-23, by cementing a place both in Arsenal's starting XI and in the Three Lions squad for the World Cup.
In his absence the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and club captain Martin Odegaard have both shone, while summer signing Fabio Vieira deputised for the Norwegian in the 3-0 win over Brentford last time out.
On Friday, Arteta confirmed that the situation had reached breaking point, with the situation no longer manageable.
"We had to make a decision and we could not continue with that uncertainty,” said the Spaniard. "The player was the first one demanding that he wanted an end decision and then we have to support him on that.
"After a surgery it’s very difficult to give a timeline. We need to go step by step. We know before the World Cup he’s not going to be involved."
Arteta’s league leaders face Tottenham in the North London derby on Saturday lunchtime, looking to cement their position at the top of the table.
They currently sit one point clear of champions Manchester City, having won six of their opening seven games.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney have all been struggling with injury of late, but could all feature at the Emirates. Asked about the trio, Arteta was keeping his cards close to his chest, insisting simply: “They are part of the team.”
