Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa said Emile Smith-Rowe must stay patient and keep working hard as he looks for more game time. Smith-Rowe has struggled for minutes of late and was left out of the squad entirely for Fulham's Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Limited minutes recently
Smith-Rowe has found minutes hard to come by in recent matches. He was not included in the Fulham squad for the Carabao Cup loss to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Arbeloa on the player's frustration
Arbeloa said: "I think when you’re not playing and you’re a player like Emile, you can’t be happy, and I think that is normal as for many players who are not getting the minutes that they want."
Arbeloa said: "But this is a situation that in football is normal. You need to come here every day to do your best and wait for your opportunity because, for me, as a team, we are performing well."
Call for patience
Arbeloa said: "Of course when you are not winning games it’s because you are making mistakes and you need to improve and learn from your mistakes but Emile is doing a good job, he has to be patient, to work hard as he is doing."
Competition for places
Arbeloa said competition for places makes it difficult to give everyone the opportunities they want.
Arbeloa said: "I have very good players and I can only choose 11."
