Emmanuel seemed destined to make his mark on the Arsenal side in 2010/11 before a serious knee injury cruelly ended his season before he got his chance.

He looked a shoo-in for first-team opportunities after a pre-season that saw him feature heavily but suffered knee ligament damage on the eve of the Premier League campaign.

The injury put Emmanuel’s rise on hold for another year.

After a gruelling rehabilitation that saw him miss virtually the whole of the season he returned for the Reserves in April after eight months on the sidelines.

Having seen fellow academy graduate Jack Wilshere emerge as one of the finest talents in the game during 2010/11 you wouldn’t bet against Emmanuel following in his footsteps next season.

SOUNDBITE

“It’s been hard over the last [eight] months because I was doing well. You want to be out on the pitch and showing what you can do. I was going to go on loan [last summer] but then the boss said he wanted me to stay and be part of the team. It was just unfortunate that I got injured. I think being injured for so long can only make me stronger.”

EMMANUEL FRIMPONG 2010/11 SEASON STATSCompetition Appearances Goals

League 0 0

FA Cup 0 0

Carling Cup 0 0

Champions League 0 0

Reserve League South 1 0

Totals 1 0

FINEST MOMENT

Coming off the bench to complete 22 minutes for the Reserves to mark his return from the serious knee injury he suffered towards the end of pre-season.

Arsenal.com