Jamie O’Hara shares his honest verdict on if Max Dowman should get an England call-up now

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After Max Dowman made his Champions League debut for Arsenal, a discussion was triggered regarding his England chances.

Dowman has already made his England U19 debut, earning five caps so far, where he’s scored one goal.

Despite being just 15 years old, the teenager has no problem playing way beyond his years, as he showed on Tuesday night.

In Arsenal’s win against Slavia Prague, Dowman made Champions League history, becoming the youngest player to ever feature in the competition, but what’s next?

• READ MORE: David Bentley suggests Max Dowman is ahead of Lamine Yamal, he’s ‘incredible’

Jamie O’Hara responds to Max Dowman England World Cup question

Even Mikel Arteta can’t believe what Dowman is doing right now as he continues to prove that he’s more than ready to play at a senior level as high as the Premier League and Champions League.

At international level, he’s also thriving and naturally, talk has now turned to whether the 2009-born star could make his England debut ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Jamie O’Hara was asked to share his thoughts on the matter when speaking on Sky Sports News, admitting that he believes it would be happening too soon for the starlet.

“It’s too early, I mean, he’s a young kid, you know, Max Dowman will be a future England star, we know that, but you can’t call up a 15-year-old to go and play at the World Cup, it’s too early.”

O’Hara, who was a member of Arsenal’s academy himself, didn’t doubt the talent that Dowman has, but stressed that, for reasons of protection, a senior England call-up shouldn’t be on the horizon.

“He has so many attributes, I think you need to protect the kid as well,” O’Hara explained.

“I think he’s at an amazing football club in Arsenal in terms of being able to protect and progress as a player, but I wouldn’t be throwing him in the limelight for the England squad just yet, no way.”

Despite the inspired idea of seeing the 15-year-old at the 2026 World Cup, his club would probably agree with O’Hara, as Arsenal want to keep Dowman under wraps to protect his development.

Dowman would shatter England record held by former Arsenal star

Dowman would’ve freshly turned 16 by the time the World Cup kicks off, and by the time the next one arrives, he’ll still only be 20.

There’s no need to rush the talent, regardless of how mesmeric he is at such an early stage of his budding career.

That being said, the idea isn’t impossible to imagine, as the youngest ever player to earn a cap for the Three Lions was just 17 years and 75 days old.

The player in question was also a Gunner at the time, as Theo Walcott still holds the record for the youngest player capped by England, making his debut in 2006 against Hungary.

If Dowman were to follow Walcott, he’d smash the record by a year, but for now, his focus needs to strictly be on balancing his studies with playing for Arsenal, a dream scenario for any teen to be in.