Emile Smith Rowe is among the players in line for a start for Arsenal as they face Brentford on Wednesday night, according to a report.

Dan Kilpatrick reports for the Evening Standard that Emile Smith Rowe’s 499-day absence from the Arsenal starting lineup “ends tonight”, with the midfielder among the fringe players in line for a rare start.

Mikel Arteta spoke about Smith Rowe ahead of the game, insisting that he never considered letting the England international leave in the summer.

“No. He needs to be a big part of this team,” Arteta said. “But he is clear on what he needs to do. He needs to perform on the pitch, to give the best for us, and to win games for us.”

As for which position Arteta might play Smith Rowe in on Wednesday night and throughout the season, the manager suggested it wouldn’t be out wide.

“The best position for Emile is in those pockets,” Arteta said. “It is not to play as a pure winger.”

The 23-year-old has found minutes difficult to come by this season, despite being fit to make every single one of Arsenal’s matchday squads so far.

The midfielder played a few minutes of the Community Shield win over Manchester City back at the start of August, but he then sat on the bench for five games in a row as the Premier League kicked off.

An academy graduate and a fan favourite, it was no surprise to see Smith Rowe getting a good reception from the supporters as he finally prepared to enter the pitch as a substitute against PSV Eindhoven last Wednesday.

But speaking after the game, Arteta admitted the response from the supporters left him feeling a bit emotional.

“I was really emotional when I saw the reception for Emile as well,” Arteta said.

“He’s a player that hasn’t played much yet, and to get the reception that he got was well deserved and I’m so happy for him as well.”

Smith Rowe then came on briefly against Spurs at the weekend, and it seems he’s now earned an opportunity to start.