Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has backed the Gunners prodigy Max Dowman to reach the very top, claiming he is five years ahead of his time.
Wilshere who is former Arsenal academy coach worked with 15-year-old starlet Dowman and remembers bringing the midfielder on during an under-18s game – when he was just 13.
According to Wilshere, that was the day when he realised Dowman had what it takes to fulfil his potential and the ex-England star insists the teenager is a much better prospect than he was.
Max Dowman acknowledges the fans after the teams victory in dthe UEFA Champions League . (Photo by Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images)
Wilshere, now in charge at Luton, said: “It’s hard because I don’t want to be the guy who says: ‘he will be this, or that.’ But every challenge he’s had at the moment, I remember playing him for the 18s and he was 13 and we were playing Southampton, a good academy.
“We were 2-0 up and I remember saying to my assistant: “Lets’ get Max on the pitch.’ I stood next to him and he was already taller than me!
“I remember saying to him: ‘Max, remember you are playing against players who are five years older than you which is fine but don’t get into duels, just pop it round and have one or two touches.’
“He came on and the first thing he did, he ran around three players, squared it and we scored. I looked at my assistant and I’d never seen this before.
“But the most important thing with Max is he’s a top kid. He’s got a good family. He’s got a mum who is amazing, a dad who would do anything for him and wants the best for his son.
“It was only six or seven weeks ago before I was here, I went to watch an Arsenal under-19s CL game and Max was playing. His dad was shooting off afterwards and he asked me if I could take him home.
“I drove him home and it’s hard to remember he’s only 15, he was trying to play Uno with me and I’m so happy for him because he’s a top kid.
“People say: ‘Is he better than you?’ He is better than me. But what I do see in similarities is his love of the game. I worked with some kids who wouldn’t even watch games but he loves it. He loves the Arsenal, he loves playing for Arsenal.”
Wilshere added that Dowman has the perfect mentor in Declan Rice as he also recalled looking up to Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal and then John Terry with England.
He added: “What better role model for him to be with every day than Dec. I was at West Ham when Dec was coming through and I know how important Mark Noble was at West Ham and I can see him moulding into that role.
“It was Cesc for me. It was different then because we didn’t have an older leader. I went to England and John Terry was amazing for me, coaching me through every minute of the game.
“Cesc led by example, have me little chats and helped me because he was a role model for me with the way he played, behaved and he was 16, I was 12 and he was in the first team. I looked and thought: ‘That’s what I need to do.’
“One of my biggest regrets was that he left because we only played a year together and I wish we had longer.”
