Emile Smith Rowe is nearing a return to full fitness and there's a chance he could be available for Arsenal's first game after the World Cup break against West Ham United.
The attacking midfielder has been sidelined since the end of September after undergoing surgery to fix an ongoing groin issue, but it was recently reported by the Evening Standard that he would be part of the Gunners' squad that travels out to Dubai this weekend for a warm-weather training camp in preparation for the return of domestic football.
And there was more good news a few days later as Smith Rowe, when speaking to Sky Sports at the Saudi Arabian GP, issued an update regarding his recovery and even set himself a target of being back in action on Boxing Day when Arsenal welcome their London rivals to the Emirates Stadium.
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"Hopefully [I'll be back] by the first game after the World Cup," he said. "I'm actually out here doing rehab, today was my day off, I'm back training tomorrow. I'm back on the pitch, it's going well."
Having had to watch on from the sidelines as his teammates opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as well as topping their Europa League group prior to the World Cup break, Smith Rowe is, understandably, eager to play his part during the second half of the season.
"I think it's going really well at the moment I am really happy for the team," he added. "But, sometimes it's annoying when I can't be involved and on the pitch with my teammates. But, it is still amazing to see them do well and I can't wait to get back."
The fact that Mikel Arteta has previously highlighted that Smith Rowe is capable of operating in four positions: "He can play as a left-winger, he can play as a left attacking midfielder, right attacking midfielder and he can play as a 9; very, very well, I think" means he will be delighted to have the Arsenal no.10 available for selection very soon.
Although taking into account that Smith Rowe did not have a full pre-season and has been limited to just 47 minutes of action since the campaign got underway, it seems highly unlikely that he will start against West Ham or subsequent games against Brighton and Newcastle United either side of the new year.
Whilst the 22-year-old could make the matchday squad for those fixtures and potentially make appearances off the bench as Arteta looks to carefully manage his fitness, patience might be required with regard to his first competitive start of the season.
With that said, Monday's FA Cup third round draw can be extremely beneficial for Arsenal and Smith Rowe. With all due respect to Oxford United, they are a team the Gunners should be overcoming and facing lower league opposition hands Arteta the opportunity to rotate his squad.
Assuming the World Cup stars such as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Granit Xhaka are rested for the FA Cup tie at the Kassam Stadium, it can be the ideal game to start Smith Rowe in - whether that be out wide or in a midfield role - to build his match sharpness and get some minutes into his legs.
This is exactly the scenario former striker Kevin Campbell has been hopeful of after predicting the attacking midfielder to have a big role to play upon returning from injury, even going as far as to claim that the 22-year-old will be 'like a new signing' whilst the January transfer window is open.
"We're going to need a squad, we’re going to need it stronger and we're going to need ESR," Campbell said on the Highbury Squad YouTube channel. "Listen, he’s been training, we’re going to need ESR, he’s going to be like a new signing, we’re going to need him back and to be ready to go. He is going to have a very prominent role to play."
Thanks to a rather kind FA Cup third round draw, Arteta can begin making plans for Arsenal's 'new signing' as all signs point towards Smith Rowe being one of the first names on the teamsheet against Oxford United to finally kick-start his injury-hit 2022/23 campaign.
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