Emile Smith Rowe has the "huge potential" to match the exploits of young England stars Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho, according to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners begin their FA Cup defence at home to Newcastle United on Saturday, buoyed by a sharp upturn in their Premier League form.
A dominant 3-1 London derby win over Chelsea on Boxing Day sparked an ongoing three-match winning run.
Smith Rowe was handed a starting berth in that game and has kept his place after impressing in the number 10 role, with the 20-year-old giving Arteta's team an overdue shot of creative intent.
In 2017, Smith Rowe was part of the England squad that won the U17 World Cup, with Foden named player of the tournament.
Sancho featured during the group stages before being called back to club action by Borussia Dortmund, and Arteta acknowledged the duo are ahead of Smith Rowe in their development.
"He has huge potential. He really wants it and he has the personality when he goes on the field to express and play the way he can play," said Arteta, who coached Foden and - more briefly - Sancho at Manchester City as part of Pep Guardiola's backroom staff.
"To do it in a consistent way is a different thing. The boys that you mentioned, they've done it. It's true that they're ahead in their development phase because they've played many more minutes and games in the last two seasons.
"But he is capable of doing that. Whether he's going to do it will depend on how he continues to develop, how he takes the chance that he has in front of him and how much we can help him to achieve that."
Underwhelming loan stints at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town in the past two years preceded a pre-season shoulder injury, but a player dubbed "The Croydon De Bruyne" by some Arsenal fans has shown he is ready to make up for lost time.
"A lot of things have happened to him in the past year," Arteta acknowledged. "He needs to establish himself here, he needs to be successful here, he needs to really find his role and his position in the team and in the club.
"That will help him to have clear path. We really believe in him. He needs to have no fear and go for it, because he has the quality."
That quality has certainly been to the fore this season, with Smith Rowe's four assists coming at a rate of one every 93.5 minutes across seven appearances in all competitions.
With the youngster in the side, Arsenal average 2.9 goals per game. The 4-1 Europa League triumph over Rapid Vienna – in which he scored – was one of six victories Smith Rowe has been involved in this term, amounting to a win percentage of 85.7 per cent that plummets to 40 in the 20 games he spent as a spectator.
It feels infeasible that Arteta will leave him out of such a large proportion of games again but the former Emirates Stadium skipper pointed towards the examples of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, who completed an exciting attacking midfield trident alongside Smith Rowe against Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion, when discussing how younger players must have their workloads managed.
That could mean some stints playing in different positions, as Saka has during his fledgling Arsenal career, although Arteta cannot deny the much-needed lift his breakthrough stars have given Arsenal, even as he tries to manage expectations.
"Sometimes a team is a little bit concerned and has some fear because of the results, because of the pressure," he added, before noting the impact through "enthusiasm" the younger members of his squad have had.
"I think they were really helpful because they were re-energising to the team. They pushed the team into a different direction and a different rhythm as well.
"But, of course, the young players need that solidity, experience and maturity that the older players bring. It's a good combination."
Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-1 Netherlands: Koeman's side wrap up group stage campaign with away draw
Netherlands ended their Group A3 campaign in the Nations League with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Stadion Bilino Polje on Tuesday.
Ronald Koeman's side, who had already secured their place in the quarter-final heading into the final group fixture, finished with nine points - five fewer than group winners Germany.
Brian Brobbey gave a second-string Oranje the breakthrough in the 24th minute when he headed home a cross from Noa Lang following a short corner kick.
But Ermedin Demirovic scored on the rebound, after Edin Dzeko's initial effort was stopped by goalkeeper Mark Flekken, to help Bosnia salvage a point in the 67th minute, as the hosts finished bottom of the group with two points.
Earlier, Dzeko's shot was cleared off the line by Jorrel Hato in the first half and the Bosnia captain also had a goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up just past the hour mark, before Sergej Barbarez's side found the leveller.
Data Debrief: Bosnia's spirited comeback
The home side ended the first period without registering a single shot on target and only creating an expected goals (xG) of 0.54, compared to the Netherlands' xG of 1.29.
But they were a much-improved side after the break as they restricted the visitors to zero shots on target while recording three of their own to secure a point. They ended the second half with an xG of 0.46, which bettered the Netherlands' xG of 0.37 despite being lower than their first-half effort.
Prior to this fixture, Bosnia and Herzegovina had lost all four of their 2024-25 Nations League matches in which they were losing at half-time. But they fought back this time to end their League A stay with a draw.
Hungary 1-1 Germany: Late penalty forces visitors to settle for a draw
Germany were denied victory away to Hungary in their final Nations League group game after conceding a 99th-minute equaliser to a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty.
Julian Nagelsmann made nine changes from Germany's 7-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last time out, with this match confirmed as a dead rubber before kick-off, and they struggled for fluency in the first half.
Germany failed to have a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes and lost the xG battle 0.51-0.17.
Things soon picked up, with Leroy Sane having a goal disallowed following a VAR review before Kai Havertz hit the post with a volley just three minutes later, having only come on as a substitute a minute before. They had their goal after 76 minutes when Felix Nmecha was quickest to react to a rebound to score his first international goal.
But Hungary were not to be denied after appeals for a penalty in the 97th minute for an alleged handball against Robin Koch. Following a VAR review, the spot kick was given and Szoboszlai earned a point for the hosts.
Germany's position as winners of Group A3 had already been secured prior to this match, as had Hungary's finishing place of third. Nagelsmann's side will now advance to the Nations League quarter-final, where they will face a second-placed side from League A. Hungary, meanwhile, will face a second-placed side from League B in a relegation play-off.
Data debrief: Germany keep scoring streak going
Germany extended their run of scoring in Nations League matches to seven consecutive games with their 1-1 draw in Budapest.
Nagelsmann's side conclude their group campaign with 18 goals in six matches, helped by their 7-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina last time out.
Following their draw today, Germany have now scored in 12 straight matches, including friendlies.
Bahrain 2-2 Australia: Yengi rescues point for visitors with stoppage-time equaliser
Kusini Yengi was the hero for Australia after scoring in the first minute and the 97th to help salvage a 2-2 draw away to Bahrain in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
The result extended manager Tony Popovic's unbeaten start with the Socceroos to four matches, although three of those have been draws.
Things got off to a great start for the visitors, going a goal up inside 40 seconds after Portsmouth forward Kusini Yengi nipped in to intercept an underhit back pass from Sayid Mahdi Baqer and find the net.
Yengi had the next moment of note after hitting the post on 61 minutes from a Riley McGree cross, before a poor touch let him down when well-placed three minutes later.
Australia were made to pay for not killing the game, when Mahdi Abduljabbar lobbed Mat Ryan from 45 yards to get Bahrain level in the 75th minute. It went from bad to worse two minutes later, when Abduljabbar got his second following a defensive mix-up between Ryan and Hayden Matthews.
But Yengi rescued his side deep into stoppage time, reacting quickest to bury a ricocheting ball in the six-yard box. The result was Australia's fourth draw in six matches and leaves them second in Group C on seven points, with teams from third to sixth – including fifth-placed Bahrain – all on six.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
