Arsenal coach says one Hale End sensation can be like Ballon d’Or winner, it’s not Ethan Nwaneri

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The Arsenal Academy is currently thriving, with several top young talents emerging as stars for the future.

Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are amongst the best, and both have now made their first-team debuts under Mikel Arteta.

A Carabao Cup victory over Bolton Wanderers also saw several other youngsters appear, including Maldini Kacurri and Ismeal Kabia, with a number of players earning their chances after impressing at youth level.

However, the biggest talent of them all is one who is still too young to join the first-team, but who has nevertheless been making waves in the Hale End Academy, and an Arsenal coach has now compared him to a former Ballon d’Or winner.

• READ MORE: Every Arsenal academy player to make their senior debuts under Mikel Arteta

Arsenal coach compares Max Dowman to Kaka

Arsenal youth coach Gustavo Oliveira, who is an assistant at under-9 to 14 level, has worked with teenage sensation Max Dowman close up.

The youngster is just 14, but is already playing for the under-21s, and Dowman recently became the youngest appearance maker and goalscorer in UEFA Youth League history.

The Englishman is one of the highest-rated prospects the academy has seen in years, and speaking to Premier League Brazil, Olivieira compared Dowman to Brazilian legend Kaka.

“He plays in Kaka’s style. He can write his name,” Olivieira stated of Dowman.

The coach also believes that Dowman can become an Arsenal and England player, like Bukayo Saka before him.

“One day, he will play for the England national team and in the Premier League,” he added.

What can Arsenal starlet Max Dowman learn from Kaka?

Kaka was one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, and was the last player to win a Ballon d’Or in 2006 before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo exclusively shared the award for 11 years.

The Brazilian legend featured for AC Milan and Real Madrid amongst others, and was famed for his combination of immense technical ability with strong running power.

It is very early days for Dowman, who has featured as a winger and attacking midfielder, but the Englishman’s technique already stands out above his peers.

If he can combine this with dribbling and power, he can be moulded into a Kaka-style attacking player, and Arsenal will hope that his true potential is at a level similar to Kaka’s peak.