Emile Smith Rowe only needs to be told once. Whether it’s his father’s strict midnight curfew or Unai Emery explaining how to time runs into the box, Smith Rowe listens and then executes.

His first goal for Arsenal - eight years after he joined the club as a 10-year-old - against Qarabag on Thursday night is a case in point. The close-range finish may have looked straightforward but it was the culmination of hours spent honing his craft, absorbing Emery’s exhortations about how he can get more touches in the opposition box.

A delighted Emery pointed to Smith Rowe’s “humility” as one of his defining characteristics in the aftermath of Thursday's 3-0 victory.

Even Smith Rowe’s listed birthplace speaks of his desire to please. Smith Rowe was asked years ago where he was born, and to make the interviewer’s life as straightforward as possible, he replied “Croydon”, figuring this was more recognisable than going into the details of Thornton Heath, the suburb he actually called home.

From Thornton Heath, Smith Rowe headed north with his parents and older brother when he signed for Arsenal in 2010. His mother and father now both work in education in north London, and try to get to every game their son plays in. It is they who instilled in their son the importance of hard work and respect, even if the the family surname makes Smith Rowe sound like a Made in Chelsea character.