Emile Smith Rowe has picked up a knock on international duty, making him a doubt for the England u21s, as well as Arsenal this weekend.

Receiving his first call-up for the England u21s over the current international break, things aren’t exactly going as planned for Emile Smith Rowe so far.

The team have had a very poor start to the group stage, and they’re only just hanging on to a slim hope of progressing to the knockout rounds. Though Smith Rowe isn’t to blame for that, it certainly didn’t help that he came off early against Portugal with the scores at 0-0 when he was performing well.

The suggestion now is that substitution was due to injury, with Aidy Boothroyd ruling the Arsenal man a doubt for their final group game.

“We have got a couple of players that we are waiting to hear from off the back of a few scans,” Boothroyd said. “Emile, he will be very doubtful I would say.”

That’s a concern for England, given their current predicament, but it’s even more of a worry for Arsenal fans. Smith Rowe was so encouraging in the recent win over Tottenham Hotspur, and supporters will want him available for Liverpool on Saturday.

Smith Rowe’s last injury setback only ruled him out for a week, so we can still remain hopeful he’ll be back in time if it’s a similar issue. It’s going to depend on the results of England’s assessment now.