England manager Thomas Tuchel has not ruled out naming Arsenal youngster Max Dowman in his World Cup squad.
There have been suggestions that teen sensation Dowman could be fast-tracked into the senior England squad after last week becoming the youngest scorer in Premier League history.
The 16-year-old was not selected in the enlarged 35-man squad named by Tuchel on Friday, for the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
Standard Sport understands that Dowman is set to remain with England’s Under-19 squad this month.
But, asked about Dowman’s future under him, Tuchel revealed that he has held talks about the youngster and opened the door for a shock call-up to the summer tournament.
”He is a fantastic talent, there’s no doubt about it,” Tuchel told reporters at Wembley. “He’s put himself in the spotlight with an amazing goal against Everton, a crucial goal.
“He is obviously a fantastic talent, an outstanding talent, there is no doubt about it. Everyone who tells me about Max praises him and is full of compliments about him.
“The reality is that he competes for minutes; he is not a regular starter for Arsenal.
“He is in a fantastic environment, the best environment possible in a competitive and stable club, and a club where teamwork is the No1 rule. So he learns from the very best and in the very best environment.
“And with these young guys, we know all of these players, and we see them. At the moment, he is in a good place to fight for his place and minutes at Arsenal.
“We always have the chance to call him for the World Cup.
“The thing with young players is to keep their momentum and excitement going, they have a level of fearlessness with them.
“There is no need to call him up now, to increase the pressure and the noise that comes with that. We have all options.”
