Arsenal manager Unai Emery has praised 17-year-old Emile Smith Rowe following his performance during his side's 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid this afternoon.
The youngster scored a memorable equaliser in the early stages of the second half, cancelling out Luciano Vietto's opener before Arsenal went on to lose the International Champions Cup clash on penalties in Singapore.
Smith Rowe - who was making his first senior start for the club two days before his 18th birthday - has also impressed Emery in training, and the Spaniard talked up the importance of giving young homegrown talent a chance.
"He is 17 years old but he has grown up in the academy and we need to give the young players the opportunity to work with us every day and play matches like today," Emery told reporters.
"They are working hard in training to be involved with the first team. Today I am very happy with his work on the pitch, but not only today. It's every day. He's starting today's match because his performances have been good in every training session.
"I think this is the moment for the young players to show quality like Emile did. Historically, Arsenal has worked with young players to give them the chance to work with the first team, for them to show their quality in each match.
"Today I think that every player played well in this game, against a big team. For Smith Rowe to score is very good for him and the team. What's important for us is that every young player is working very hard."
Arsenal's next pre-season match comes against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.
Barney Corkhill
