England call-up definitely a dream come true, admits Emile Smith Rowe
Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe has admitted that he was ecstatic to receive the phone call from Gareth Southgate to confirm his first England call-up having initially been expected to line up for the Under-21s. The Arsenal star was called up due to injuries to Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount.
Emile Smith Rowe graduated from the Arsenal youth academy and became the first Arsenal player born in the 2000s to play for them when he made his debut in the Europa League. The midfielder has had loan spells in England and Germany in the past to aid his development and eventually made his breakthrough last campaign establishing himself as a consistent presence for the club. Since then, the 21-year-old has made 58 appearances for the London club, scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists across all competitions.Â
Smith Rowe has continued to carry on his impressive displays into this season, scoring four goals and two assists to orchestrate a turn in form for the Gunners after a tumultuous start to the season. However, his form didn't earn him an England call-up and was initially set to link up with the U21s but things changed after Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, and James Ward-Prowse stepped out with injuries, and Smith Rowe earned his first England call-up. It saw the 21-year-old expressed his delight at potentially representing his country.
"It is a dream come true, I definitely didn't expect it. I was going into the U21s and I got a phone call the day before from Gareth to say I am in the first team. It was a great moment for me and my family. My mum was downstairs when he called and I was upstairs. I ran downstairs and told her straight away, it was very emotional,” Smith Rowe told reporters.
"They were so proud of me and I couldn't wait to meet up with the squad. Everything has happened so quickly but I try to keep my head down. It is surreal to be here and I want to learn as much as I can," he added.