Arsenal academy talent Max Dowman continues to turn heads this summer in pre-season as Mikel Arteta seemingly looks to involve the 15-year-old throughout the forthcoming campaign.
Dowman came off the bench against Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium, marking his home debut with the first-team. The England junior international won a penalty for the second time this summer, which club captain Martin Ødegaard converted with ease. Though the Gunners went on to lose to the friendly and the subsequent penalty shootout, the Spanish manager was full of praise for Dowman.
“The impact he had in the game again today, the efficiency that he shows in every attack and action, it’s incredible. He deserves to have chances and if he continues like this, let’s see what happens,” Arteta said after the friendly.
Even more specifically, Arteta highlighted how involved Dowman was after coming on with Arsenal players trusting to pass the ball to him and carry it forward in the attacking third. That is a trend that has been building after his performance against Newcastle United.
“I think there’s nothing better than that. The confidence they show to make things happen and the constant connection they have with him.” Though, Arteta did pour some cold water on the discussion for those clamoring for him to be a consistent contributor in the first-team this season.
“He needs a little break as well because he hasn’t had any holidays really, so in the next few days he’s going to have a break which I think he needs and then he’ll probably be ready again to go.”
If he does play a role, minor or major, over the coming months, Dowman would follow in the footsteps of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly by breaking into the senior squad. Nwaneri is notably the youngest player to ever receive Premier League minutes after Arteta handed a debut to the Hale End product against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium in September 2022.
Nwaneri was aged 15 years and 181 days for that momentous occasions. Meanwhile, Lewis-Skelly has seen a meteoric rise since coming in as a left back last season, making his Premier League, Champions League and England national team debuts all in the same season.
Viktor Gyökeres and Noni Madueke also made their Emirates Stadium debuts on Wednesday as both players look to be big parts of Arsenal’s upcoming campaign.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikel Arteta Hints at Major Opportunity for Arsenal Academy Star.
