Arsenal: Cesc Fabregas endorsed youngster set for first start vs Fulham

In a must-win game tomorrow afternoon, Arsenal come up against Fulham away from home. As the Premier League title race is beginning to heat up, Mikel Arteta is infamous for his philosophy of taking it game by game.

Fulham are no easy opponents. Particularly at home, they’ve played well this season. Only losing one game in their last five, the Cottagers sit 7th in the Premier League – with a subtle eye on European football qualification.

The Evening Standard have predicted that Emile Smith Rowe could be granted his first start of the season in this match. Fabio Vieira got the nod in the Europa League, but Mikel Arteta will likely rotate his squad again, as the games are coming in thick and thin – there’s another Europa League match against Sporting in the middle of next week.

Emile Smith Rowe’s season has been plagued by injury, but it could be the perfect opportunity to make a name for himself, having been given some brief cameos from the bench in recent matches. It looks like he’s returned to full match fitness, after Arteta has been careful in his usage of the English midfielder.

One thing which works in ESR’s favour is his versatility. He can play as a midfielder and as a wide attacker. In my opinion he works best as a midfielder but he’s certainly capable of doing a job out wide too.

Just recently, former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas was at London Colney to watch Arsenal train. According to the Boot Room, there were four players which caught his eye. He felt like he could resonate with Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe.

Indeed, ESR will hope for a similar career trajectory to Cesc Fabregas, who truly made a name for himself in North London before going on to win countless trophies and known as one of the all-time greats in his position.

Do you think ESR will start for Arsenal against Fulham?