Emile Smith Rowe has confirmed he’s hoping to play against Oxford United in the FA Cup on Monday night.

Antoine Allen reports that Emile Smith Rowe is hoping to play in Monday’s FA Cup match against Oxford United, admitting he “can’t wait” for the opportunity.

The midfielder also expressed his pride to wear Arsenal’s No More Red kit, after Arsenal re-launched that initiative this week.

Amy Lawrence had previously reported for The Athletic that Smith Rowe’s return is now imminent, and he’s expected to start away to Oxford United on Monday.

Smith Rowe missed out on the Arsenal squad to face Newcastle United on Tuesday, but he’s clearly getting closer to his injury comeback.

The England international hasn’t played since the Manchester United match in September, rejoining training with the squad in recent days.

Football.London had reported that he was expected to be in full training in the next couple of weeks. But these latest updates suggest it could be even sooner than that.

The Oxford United game is obviously a good one to get Smith Rowe involved, if he’s ready for it.

Arsenal’s subsequent games are an away trip to Tottenham Hotspur before hosting one of the form teams in the Premier League – Manchester United.

Neither of those matches are ideal for a comeback game, but Smith Rowe would be a great option to have in both games.

At the moment, Arsenal have very few attacking options on the bench, particularly goalscorers.

The Gunners are in the market to sign a new winger, but until that happens, Smith Rowe could be their best bet to add goals to the squad.