Saturday saw Arsenal face Leyton Orient in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Sobha Reality Training Centre. The Gunners claimed a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Smith Rowe.
Jesus opened the scoring in the first half and it would not be until the interval that Arsenal would double their lead. Smith Rowe was introduced at half-time and took just three minutes to find the back of the net.
Mikel Arteta handed valuable minutes to several first-team players including Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard, Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Jesus.
Smith Rowe was also given a chance to showcase his talents to the Arsenal boss and did not miss out.
This summer has seen Smith Rowe heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium. The 23-year-old made just 19 appearances for Arsenal last season and spent the majority of the campaign on the bench.
Reports in recent weeks have seen Smith Rowe linked with a move to Fulham. A bid worth £25million has already been made by Fulham, which was swiftly rejected by the Gunners and it remains to be seen if that stance will change, with Crystal Palace also interested.
The Gunners have previously been resolute in their stance that they do not want Smith Rowe to leave the club. Interest from West Ham, Chelsea and Aston Villa in the past was rejected by Arsenal, but that has not stopped the forward from being linked with a move away from North London.
Smith Rowe will be hoping to give Arteta a reason to give him more minutes next season with his performances across pre-season. Arsenal will now travel to the United States for a series of friendly fixtures before the start of the new Premier League campaign.
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