Arsenal See Dowman’s Huge Potential but Know Caution Is Key

Max Dowman produced another impressive display for Arsenal, scoring twice in their 4-2 Carabao Cup victory over Ipswich Town. However, manager Mikel Arteta has stressed that the club must be careful not to rush the teenager’s development.

The 16-year-old made 13 appearances for Arsenal last season but had been limited to a place among the substitutes at the start of this campaign.

That changed at Portman Road, where Dowman scored two excellent goals and gave Arteta another reason to consider increasing his playing time in the Premier League.

Despite his performance, Arteta insisted that Arsenal must continue to manage the youngster carefully.

“He is 16 years old and we have to be really cautious,” Arteta said.

“We don’t want to stop him, we don’t want to put the brakes on him, we need to develop him and we are fully aware what he needs. He will have opportunities.”

Dowman opened his account with a superb individual effort. He carried the ball forward, left defenders struggling to keep up and eventually calmly finished the move.

“Unbelievable, he’s unpredictable, he can go either way, so fluid, so nice to watch,” Arteta said.

His second goal showed another side of his game, as Dowman remained composed before placing the ball neatly into the bottom corner.

The brace made him only the second 16-year-old to score twice in a match for a Premier League club in any competition. The first was Wayne Rooney, who achieved the feat for Everton against Wrexham in the League Cup in 2002.

Arteta was also impressed by how Dowman has handled the demands placed on him at such a young age.

“With the demands that we put in them, to be able to do that is extremely difficult and he’s coping better and better and better,” he added.

“He’s an unbelievable player because of the character that he has and how much he loves to play at the biggest stage.

“It’s not easy [to contain the hype], I understand, but what we have to do is look after him. He’s 16 years old. You don’t see that in this league.

“In other leagues in Europe, that’s a totally different context, but in this league, with the demands that the league has, the players and everything put on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he’s in the right context with the right preparation.”

Wonderkid Had to Wait

Dowman may have expected to receive more opportunities during the early stages of this season, particularly after the breakthrough campaign he enjoyed last year.

He made history on several occasions, becoming the youngest player ever to appear in the Champions League, while also becoming Arsenal’s youngest starter and the Premier League’s youngest starter, goalscorer and title winner.

Across 13 appearances in all competitions last season, Dowman scored once. His goal came against Everton during the final stages of the title race and helped secure the victory.

That strike was particularly memorable. Dowman carried the ball almost halfway down the pitch before finding an empty net, with Jordan Pickford having moved forward.

The goal was later voted Arsenal’s goal of the season.

Dowman achieved all of this while also preparing for his school examinations.

He received his GCSE results from Brentwood School during the summer before leaving education to concentrate fully on his football career.

Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp, speaking as a Sky Sports pundit, also urged patience with the youngster.

“He is a wonderful player who will be able to do everything in the game.

“But just give him time and how they are handling him is perfect. What you don’t want to do is not give him the amount of game time he needs. He is an elite player.”

Will Dowman Get His Chance Now?

A regular place in the Arsenal first team will still be difficult for Dowman to secure, particularly with the Premier League champions making an excellent start to the campaign.

The Gunners have won all seven of their matches this season across four different competitions.

Dowman had been an unused substitute in four of those games and was left out of the squad for another two before being handed a full 90 minutes against Ipswich Town.

Arsenal have also relied on the same attacking players throughout their league matches so far, with Bukayo Saka, Christos Tzolis, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz starting each one.

However, Dowman can hope to become a more regular option after showing what he can offer, especially given that Arteta trusted him during important moments of last season’s title challenge.

“He’s an unbelievable talent,” Arsenal team-mate Mikel Merino told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“He will be a star in the future if he keeps his eyes and ears open and keeps learning.

“He’s just 16 so he needs a lot of coaching, especially tactically. But I can’t take anything away from him. He’s always keen to learn. We’ll keep helping him.”

Dowman’s rapid progress has already led to discussions about whether he could eventually become part of England’s plans for Euro 2028.

There was even debate earlier this year about whether he should have been considered for the World Cup.

Former England defender Conor Coady described him as a “real superstar” on Sky Sports.

“A 16-year-old boy should not be doing this. He has got no better manager than Arteta to look after him. You want him to be looked after properly. If he plays every game at this age, he won’t be scoring goals like this,” Coady said.

The discussion around young English talent also comes as it emerged that highly rated 15-year-old striker JJ Gabriel is close to leaving Manchester United.

Gabriel had been expected to make his first-team debut against Brighton in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup match.

If he does not feature, he will likely miss the chance to disrupt a record that currently sees the three youngest players to score in the League Cup for Premier League clubs all having done so for Arsenal.

The list consists of Cesc Fabregas, who scored aged 16 years and 212 days against Wolves in 2003, Max Dowman, who scored aged 16 years and 258 days against Ipswich, and Jack Wilshere, who found the net aged 16 years and 266 days against Sheffield United in 2008.