Max Douman’s incredible talent made it impossible for Mikel Arteta to overlook the 15-year-old midfielder.
Rio Ferdinand is in awe of Arsenal Wonder Kid Max Dowman following his teenager preseason preseason display against AC Milan. Manchester United legend Ferdinand named him the world’s greatest 15-year-old talent, calling him “he’s a joke.”
Arsenal members were well aware of the incredible talent that Douman owned and tracked his progress through the ranks of the youth team. Despite his tender age, the left-footed offensive midfielder was quickly tracked by the first team and trained with the Gunners senior team from the beginning of the year.
Douman was part of a team that Mikel Arteta went to Spain for training camp last week and came out of the bench on Wednesday at a 65-minute mark to face AC Milan during the team’s preseason match in Singapore.
The sense of the England U17S is played in the right wing position and looks sharp and comfortable while earning Arsenal’s sixth penalty in a pre-positioned penalty shootout. His sparkling cameo sent a clear message that 2025/26 is ready to be called by Arteta while 2025 is in progress.
Former TNT Sports Pundit Ferdinand was one of many people jumping on the Dowman Hype Train and was amazed by what he had seen so far. He says Rio Ferdinand: “When I’m talking about young players, I have a different energy: young players leaving your seat.
“By the way, we talked about him in November, Max Douman, don’t forget his name. Arsenal’s Hale End gave birth to another young gem. They already have Bukayo Saka, an elder politician who is already in a changing room.
“And now, 15-year-old Dowman is knocking. If you’ve never seen the clip, I recommend you go online. It was early on, but it appears Declan Rice took him under the wing.
“He is definitely the best 15 year old in the country and probably in Europe now. Maybe the world.
“I don’t overhype people – what are we doing with football? We are here to be entertained and excited by the young talent and to be grateful for it. I love it. I want to see young players coming.
“Let’s see what this kid was doing in last year’s FA Youth Cup match against Manchester United. He’s kidding, and what we’re hearing from Arsenal camp is that he’s shifting the abilities he’s shown in the youth team when he trains with his first team.
“The players will talk more and more about Dowman as the season progresses, as this may continue because it’s ridiculous. ”
Statistics go in some way to draw a picture of Douman’s huge potential. When he became Arsenal’s youngest player to play under the age of 18, he was only 13 years old and 14 when he was first featured under the age of 21.
Last September, he became the youngest player ever to score in the UEFA Youth League. For England, Dowman has far surpassed the curve, earning England under 17 plays and scores at the age of 14.
This summer at the Under-17 European Championships, he was the youngest player in the entire tournament, but he started all three England matches and scored a spectacular solo goal against the Czech Republic.
The FA Youth Cup quarterfinals against Manchester United in February brought the first awe to many Arsenal fans. Dowman, who played at Emirates Stadium under the age of 18, was on a completely different level than the other players on the field. The only way United players could deal with him was to kick him from behind.
The Season Rice Arsenal player backed up Ferdinand’s comments in March, describing him as “the best 15 year old in the country.”
Even the first thought that usually is to protect young people from too many expectations admits that “some of what he does in training is incredible.”
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