Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was full of praise for fringe star Emile Smith Rowe.

The academy graduate got a chance to showcase his talent in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Smith Rowe played his part in a 1-0 win over Brentford that saw the Gunners move into the fourth round.

Arteta stated post-game: “I think he had really good moments in the first half and the game was much easier for him with the way he was developing with his qualities. But then with the game we started to play after five or 10 minutes in the second half, he was more struggling.

“Physically, he's still not ready for 90 minutes. We have to bare in mind that we had four or five players in that field that were subs and that was a big concern today for us in the line up especially because we had seven at Colney that are not fit now."

He added on the midfielder picking up a knock: “He did, it wasn't because of that.

“We have to manage his minutes. His load has been a big spike in the last few weeks and he was struggling to finish the game. The same with Reiss."

And finally, on whether Smith Rowe brings something different to the team: “Yeah, he's very vertical. You see when he's running with the ball, the capacity he's got in short spaces, his arriving in the box.

“He's got different qualities to do that attacking midfielder. It's great to have him. We need him at his best. Now he's starting to get some rhythm and minutes which is great for the team."