Arsenal supporters were surprised by the performance of 15-year-old offensive midfielder Max Dowman against AC Milan and Newcastle during their pre-season tour
The hype around Max Dowman is nothing new, but it’s not that exciting for Arsenal fans.
The 15-year-old offensive midfielder has been on the radar for over a year, breaking records while rapidly rising through the club’s academy. But now he’s getting a good thing about that possibility in the preseason along with Mikel Arteta’s team.
First he caught his eye when the gunner beat AC Milano 1-0 in pre-season friendly. He then took things to another level against Newcastle, who came 3-2 against his Premier League opponent.
Although Douman is still very young and inexperienced, the raw talent he has means that Arteta can pass him on to more opportunities in the upcoming 2025/26 season. So here mirror football tells you everything you need to know about young people.
read more: Transfer News Live: Arsenal Chase Eze, Liverpool agrees to £65 million deal, latest Man UTD strikerread more: Martin Odegard is embarrassed by 15-year-old Arsenal Wonderkid, labeled “generation talent.”
Willshare’s Genius
Dowman has been turning his head at Arsenal’s Hale-end youth training ground for a while, setting a new record in September as the youngest player in the UEFA Youth League in 14 years, 8 months and 19 days.
In an era of easily available highlight clips, excitement has been there for a while. Dowman had the perfect coach and mentor for some of his time in the youth setup in the form of Jack Wilshire.
The former Arsenal and British midfielder were coaches at Arsenal Academy before leaving for Norwich in October. While he made his Arsenal debut at age 16 at 256 days, making him the youngest league debut ever at the club, Wilshire has a unique perspective on the subject.
“There’s always concern when feeding these young players in these games, but if you’re good enough, you’re old enough,” he said last year.
“He can be more consistent, but he’s only 14 years old and hasn’t started GCSES yet. He needs to find a balance between playing and having fun for his age, but he’s trying to do as much work as possible.” So far, the process has been pretty good.
Under the wings of rice
They were on guard with Douman, but Arsenal was not embarrassed to test him at a higher level. The left-footed offensive midfielder became the youngest Premier League player ever in December, playing for the 14-year-old England Under-17.
He was invited to Arsenal’s warm weather training camp held in Dubai in the winter. There, Declan Rice took him under the wing.
“There have been so many texts about Max recently,” Rice told BBC Radio 5 Live in March. “At 15, there’s such a long way. You can be the best 15 in the country, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re 18.
“So you need to be hungry, keep working and keep pushing. I talk a lot with Max. He has a very good family around him. He’s unrealistic.”
Speaking about the young trio of Arsenal’s Louis Skelly, Nuwaneri and Douman, Rice added:
“Very fast steps”
As Douman isn’t 16 until New Year’s Eve, Arsenal is taking note of him with Douman, and it is clear that Arteta cannot rush his development. “It’s very impressive at his age,” he said earlier this year. “He is a huge talented player and I believe we can nurture him to be one of our own. He’s been doing very well so far.
“At this point, there are many restrictions in all laws. We don’t even mention them in other countries. We have to wait. He’s taking very fast steps.
Arteta’s joy
Douman scored a penalty in a shootout after Milan got off the bench at Bucayosaka. He played on the right field and showed no signs of nerves against the Italian giants, and got even better against Newcastle.
He ran down the right wing as he pulled a foul from Jollington for an Arsenal late penalty. And it is clear that Arteta will not hesitate to throw him into a competitive match.
“It’s special,” Arteta said after the Newcastle match. “What he did today with this team when he was on the pitch is that it’s certainly not common to witness a 15-year-old. We’re very happy to have him.
“The environment around him, his family, his club and the people of the academy is very helpful as he has real opportunities and real presence when he plays for the first team, as he placed him in this position early in his journey.”
Referring to Douman, Marli Salmon and Josh Nichols, he added after Milan’s victory:
“Make sure someone can make you feel very comfortable and do it right away. At least that gives you the best chance, and you have to have the qualities that this child has to oppose such opposition.
“It’s a moment of rewarding and giving opportunities. They certainly took opportunities in difficult situations against a very large team. It’s incredible how you can play at that level at 15.”
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