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Former Tottenham Hotspur full-back Alan Hutton has expressed concerns over Arsenal forward Emile Smith Rowe. The retired Scot insists that the England international is unhappy due to a lack of game time this term.
Smith Rowe has seen a meager total of 47 minutes in an Arsenal shirt this season spread over four appearances for the Gunners. The Englishman did not travel with the north London outfit to Switzerland for their Europa League clash against FC Zurich on September 8.
Smith Rowe missed the European encounter due to an injury, exacerbating the England international's frustrating start to the season.
Hutton has urged Smith Rowe to recover quickly and return to his previous form. The attacking midfielder registered 11 goals and two assists in 37 matches for the Gunners last season.
The former Tottenham man told Football Insider:
"I think it’s been a difficult start to the season for him. I mean, he’s still a very young player, he came in and he was one of the reasons they did well last season, him and the likes of [Bukayo] Saka really set it alight."
He added:
"With the players that are coming in, I don’t think he’s really had the game time that he was after. You can see just in his demeanor, he looks a little bit down, he’s not as happy as he was last season."
Hutton concluded:
"Getting an injury at this point in time is not ideal, especially if you’re not a main player within that team. So it’s really about him recovering from this and getting back to where he was. We know he’s a great player but you have to show the manager that you can do it on a consistent basis."
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Smith Rowe
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided an update on Smith Rowe prior to the Gunners' Europa League encounter against FC Zurich, which resulted in a 2-1 victory for his side.
Arteta left the Englishman out of the squad due to discomfort in a specific area that he's been suffering for weeks. During the pre-match press conference, Arteta said (via the club's official website):
"He felt discomfort in an area that [he’s been dealing with] now for a few weeks. He wasn’t comfortable after the game and he hasn’t trained in the last few days, so he’s out of the squad."
Arsenal are set to face Brentford away in the Premier League on September 18 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
