Arsenal hero Ray Parlour has told stifled midfielder Emile Smith Rowe to remain patient and be ready to impress Mikel Arteta whenever he gets a chance.
Smith Rowe has just helped England win the Under-21 European Championships with a string of influential displays but finds himself stuck down the pecking order at club level. Last season, injuries and the form of players like Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka meant that the talented playmaker, 22, failed to make a Premier League start.
After the Gunners paid £65m to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea with a plan to play him as a midfielder, Smith Rowe's chances of getting into Arteta's starting XI for the big games look even slimmer. Fortunately, Arsenal's highly-rated academy graduate has been given some advice from Parlour which should be useful in his quest to claw his way back into his manager's plans, having already confirmed his desire to stay at the Emirates during the summer transfer window.
