Saturday interview: Young Gunner aiming to hit double top with Doncaster

The 19-year-old loanee from Arsenal had just finished speaking to the Yorkshire Post in the canteen at Rovers' Cantley Park training ground when he was invited to join a couple of the Rovers squad in a darts challenge.

Emanuel-Thomas immediately accepted, only to learn the contest – whereby each player had to hit 1-20 in order – was already well underway and his two team-mates were almost halfway around the board.

Doncaster's most recent signing had clearly not played much darts before, having to ask where the '1' could be found and it was all Mustapha Dumbuya could do to keep a straight face.

Within seconds, however, any notion the pair had got one over Emanuel-Thomas was soon swept away as his first three darts landed perfectly. Before long, the powerfully-built teenager had raced into the lead – much to the disgust of his astonished mates, who could not help thinking they had been hustled in true Paul Newman fashion.

In truth, neither should have been surprised at Emanuel-Thomas's accuracy with the arrows after the explosive start the midfielder has made to life in a Rovers shirt with three goals from four starts.

Yet to feature on a losing side since swapping the Emirates for the Keepmoat Stadium towards the end of last month, the 6ft 3ins player is clearly enjoying life in Yorkshire.

"It is going well," said the teenager who last season captained Arsenal to the FA Youth Cup.

"Doncaster play some good football and the lads are a great bunch.

"The results have been good on the pitch as well to help Doncaster move up the league and I am really enjoying it."

Doncaster are the second Championship club Emanuel-Thomas has joined on loan this season following the three months he spent at Blackpool before Christmas.

The midfielder made 12 appearances for the Seasiders and believes the penultimate game of that spell, when he scored in a 3-3 draw at Doncaster, was his best display.

Sean O'Driscoll insists that was not the reason behind Rovers signing Emanuel-Thomas, the south Yorkshire club having turned down the chance to sign him before Blackpool made their move last summer.

Instead, the Rovers manager says a change in personnel meant he could now accommodate a player who likes to push forward in support of the attack.

Such willingness to be patient has been rewarded with explosive goalscoring form of the loanee, the pick of his goals coming in last weekend's 2-1 win over Derby when Emanuel-Thomas cut in from the right flank and hit an unstoppable shot from 20 yards.

Not that he can remember anything about it.

He said: "I got a head injury shortly before scoring the goal so I had to watch it on television first to jog my memory. I was well pleased with what I saw.

"Like any player, I love scoring goals so it has been good. I had a dream start to my first full game against Bristol City when I scored after 90 seconds. I got another later on and we won 5-2, so that was brilliant."

Another goal today could see Doncaster replace Sheffield United as Yorkshire's highest placed club in the Football League. It could also help Emanuel-Thomas realise his ultimate ambition of becoming part of Arsene Wenger's plans.

Having signed a new contract shortly before Christmas and then making his first-team debut as the Gunners were knocked out of the FA Cup by Stoke, the teenager hopes to make the breakthrough in the near future.

He said: "I have been with Arsenal since I was seven years old. I have signed a new contract every two years, which meant I would be worried as each one came round about whether they still wanted me. Luckily for me, they did.

"I really enjoy being at a club like Arsenal. Right from the start, we were taught to pass the ball and move. They were very good at saying when we should take someone on and when we should pass.

"It was drilled into us. I don't know if that was the case at other clubs, but Arsenal were very big on it. The training is all about moving the ball about.

"Going to Blackpool really helped me. To play regular football in the Championship was why I went there and that is what I got.

"It was a step up from the reserves at first, but I got used to it. I felt a much better player when I went back to Arsenal. I was more confident in myself and had started training with the first team every day.

"I took that as a sign I had come on as a player. It meant when I was back at Arsenal I did not feel the odd one out. I had done before.

"Making my debut against Stoke was a big thing and I want to use my time at Doncaster to become an even better player.

"Before I came up here, Arsene Wenger just said 'go and get some experience'. It is up to me to prove myself. I know Arsenal have scouts at all the games where those of us out on loan are playing so everything will be reported back to the club.

"When I do go back, I would like to be in the first-team squad more often and, hopefully, get to play at the Emirates. There was a crowd of 27,000 when we beat Liverpool in the Youth Cup final last season and I was captain, so the aim has to be to play there regularly in the future."