The Arsenal boss was full of praise for the youngster’s display against Qarabag, but wants the 18-year-old to remain humble
Unai Emery has hailed Emile Smith Rowe’s “humble” mentality after the midfielder became Arsenal’s youngest goalscorer for seven years in the 3-0 Europa League win over Qarabag.
Smith Rowe netted Arsenal’s second in Azerbaijan, as the Gunners cruised to an eighth consecutive win in all competitions, with Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Matteo Guendouzi also scoring their maiden goals for the club.
The 18-year-old is the youngest Arsenal goalscorer since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2011 and Emery insisted Smith Rowe’s greatest asset is his down-to-earth attitude.
“Every player needs to feel that they have the option to play with us, especially players from the academy,” Emery told reporters.
“Smith Rowe worked well with us in pre-season and knows how we play. He is very humble and wants to continue improving with us.
“The quality he has physically and mentally. He also has quality in his right foot, with working in attacking moments with any player.
“If I say one condition, I say his mentality. He is humble, he listens every day in training, in video analysis and before every match.
“The last match he played against Brentford he had three actions in the opposition box and didn’t score, today he had two and scored one.
“But I prefer to not to speak a lot about him, I want him to stay humble and keep his feet on the ground.”
Arsenal now turn focus towards the Premier League and a match against Fulham on Sunday.