2023 has not been easy for Emile Smith Rowe. The 22-year-old was second only to Bukayo Saka in Arsenal's scoring charts in the 2021/22 season but followed that up with a campaign in which he did not start a single match in any competition.
There are plenty of mitigating factors for this. First among these is of course injuries. Smith Rowe had been struggling with pain from a groin injury since his teen years and finally took the decision to get it sorted once and for all with surgery at the start of this season. That would ultimately rule him out for five months, before a series of false starts around the new year stunted his comeback.
For the last few months of the season though, the Hale Ender was back fully fit and pain free. He lost weight, was impressing in training and set personal bests for his physicality. Still though his wait for a route back in to the Arsenal first team would continue.
