Emile Smith Rowe earns his first England call-up

The Arsenal star has been in sensational form for the Gunners this season, and it was only going to be a matter of time before Gareth Southgate gave him his Three Lions bow.

It was a strange decision to leave him out in the first place, however, the withdrawals of Marcus Rashford, James Ward-Prowse, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw for the games against Albania and San Marino have left Southgate with little choice.

After originally being left out, Mikel Arteta put a positive spin on Smith Rowe’s omission by suggesting that the fact it was being questioned was something he could take confidence from, per Sky Sports.