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When the England squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers was announced last week, one name was conspicuously missing from the list. That name was Emile Smith Rowe. The Arsenal midfielder has never been capped by his country, but his omission led to criticism of Gareth Southgate.
On Monday, though, following the withdrawals of Marcus Rashford, James Ward-Prowse, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw, the 21-year-old received his first senior national team call-up.
Smith Rowe was preparing to join the camp of England’s U21s when he received the call. But frankly, his invitation shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has watched him closely this season.
He has been one of Arsenal’s best players this season. Smith Rowe has played a key role in the resurgence Mikel Arteta’s side have enjoyed in the Premier League.
Emile Smith Rowe - a man in form
None of England’s midfielders are currently in better form than Smith Rowe. He has netted four times and registered two assists in 11 Premier League games this season.
His winning strike against Watford on Sunday made him the fourth player aged 21 or under to score in three consecutive Premier League games for Arsenal. The other players to have achieved the feat are Cesc Fabregas, Jose Antonio Reyes and Nicolas Anelka.
Maybe Southgate wasn’t considering him in his earlier plans. But Smith Rowe has shown enough this season to deserve a place in The Three Lions' squad.
He is on a roll, and has delivered consistently for Arsenal. So there is no reason why the young player can’t replicate that form for England in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers against teams like Albania and San Marino.
Smith Rowe’s hard work paying off
The fact that Arteta trusted Smith Rowe to take up the number 10 shirt at Arsenal highlights the kind of trust the Gunners’ have in the midfielder. But he has had to work his way to this level. There was a time when he struggled to get into the team. The signing of Martin Odegaard made it even more difficult to play in his favoured no.10 role.
However, the 21-year-old has adapted his game to the left flank and has added goals to his repertoire, making him more productive up front.
"It's (England call-up) definitely a dream come true. I didn't expect it. Obviously I was planning to go with the U21s, and I got a phone call the day before from Gareth, saying I'd been called up to the first team. It was a great moment for me and my family,” he said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
"My mum was actually downstairs at the time, I was upstairs. I ran downstairs straight away and told her. It was very emotional, but they were so proud of me, and I couldn't wait to meet up with the squad. I was really nervous during my first training session, to be honest. It's always hard coming in with new players.”
Smith Rowe’s journey to Arsenal’s first team is well-documented. From being rejected at Chelsea to having to learn and unlearn, he has developed into the ultimate professional. It’s nice to see his hard work finally paying off.
