Emile Smith Rowe is unlikely to be fit in time for Arsenal to face West Ham United on Boxing Day, as the club remain cautious with him.

James Benge reports that Arsenal’s first competitive club fixture after the World Cup break is likely to come too soon for Emile Smith Rowe. The midfielder isn’t set to play a part on Monday, as the Gunners host West Ham United.

Benge adds that Smith Rowe hasn’t had a setback, Arsenal and the player himself are just taking their time to make sure he’s completely ready when he returns to the pitch.

This isn’t particularly unexpected. Back in mid-November, reports suggested Smith Rowe was targeting a return to action at the start of January.

The fact he hadn’t returned to the pitch in Arsenal’s five World Cup break friendlies also made it pretty clear he still isn’t 100% fit yet.

But Smith Rowe had raised fan expectations in an interview not long after those November reports, where he said he was hoping to be back by the first game after the World Cup.

Unfortunately, football players don’t tend to be the most reliable sources on the timeline of their own recoveries, as they’ll generally give you the most optimistic possibility rather than the most realistic. It seems this is another example of that.

Arsenal initially have a very packed schedule on football’s return, playing three games in eight days.

But their exit from the League Cup and first-place finish in their Europa League group makes things a little less hectic after that, with no midweek games from January 3rd until February 15th.

So given Smith Rowe is a long shot for those early few games, there’s no point rushing him back, as it’s mid-February onwards when it will really be important to have a full squad.