Mikel Arteta seems to have settled upon a winning formula at Arsenal. So far this season, Arteta's team selections have been pretty consistent, and it's paying dividends, with the Gunners top of the table after six matches.
Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard have sparkled in attacking roles, forming a dangerous offensive unit, with Arsenal scoring 14 goals in their opening half a dozen games. Everything has been clicking for Arsenal in forward areas, but Emile Smith Rowe has not been part of the equation.
The 22-year-old is yet to start a game this season, despite scoring ten goals in 33 Premier League appearances last term. Smith Rowe has been limited to substitute appearances so far this campaign, racking up just 47 minutes of action in total. All of his appearances from the bench have been under 20 minutes, meaning he has had very little time to influence games positively.
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Now, Smith Rowe has suffered a setback after picking up an injury in the warm-down after Arsenal's 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, with former Tottenham Hotspur full-back Alan Hutton calling on the youngster to get back to the levels he showed last season once he's recovered from his injury.
"I think it's been a difficult start to the season for him," Hutton told Football Insider.
"I mean, he's still a very young player, he came in, and he was one of the reasons they did well last season. He and the likes of Saka really set it alight.
"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 demeanour, he looks a little bit down, he's not as happy as he was last season.
"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."
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