Emile Smith Rowe has huge injury problems, but two goals for England U21 give him optimism for the future. This young Englishman is ambitious and wants a lot. ‘I’m really desperate to be honest,’ Smith Rowe said, as quoted by metro.co.uk ‘The team are doing really well and it’s obviously something I want to be a part of.
I’m working hard every day. Coming away with England is minutes that I really need. I’ve been struggling with this injury since I was 18 or 19, just before I went on loan to RB Leipzig. ‘I was quite low at the beginning.
I’ve never had surgery before. It’s been tough, but I’m glad it’s all sorted now. I don’t feel any pain. I just need to kick on.’
Mikel Arteta on Smith-Rowe's importance
Mikel Arteta emphasized how important Smith-Rowe is to his team.
He will be of great use to them if he is ready. ‘He knows how much we love him, and we know how much we missed him and how much we need his qualities. And now he needs to prove it, he needs to prove how much he wants to win, and how much he’s going to contribute to this team to be better and win.
And he’s going to have to show that to get in the team.' Arteta knows very well how to use a player in the right way. He has shown this season that he is great at his job, and we will see what he has in store for Smith-Rowe.
‘I think we have to manage his load, but for sure he’s in a position where we can throw him in the team at any moment. And then it’s about how he’s coping with the team in general and whether we have to take him off or to use him in the last few minutes of the game.’