Max Dowman was named in Arsenal’s matchday squad for the Saturday evening clash against Leeds United.
The youngster has been training with the first team for some time now, despite only turning 15 last December.
Called up by Mikel Arteta to feature on Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia this summer, Dowman impressed in his short cameos off the bench.
He’s now been rewarded for these eye-catching displays with a first taste of senior competitive football, named on the Gunners’ bench for the encounter with Leeds at the Emirates.
Max Dowman is the first under-16 player to make Arsenal’s squad for a competitive match
Gary Lineker described Dowman as ‘amazing’ after seeing what he could do during pre-season, and the former Barcelona striker isn’t the only one to wax lyrical about the starlet.
The 15-year-old has been talked about in every corner of the footballing landscape, with fans and pundits believing Arsenal may have a generational talent on their hands.
Arteta clearly echoes these sentiments, naming Dowman in his matchday squad against Leeds on Saturday.
This was the first time Arsenal had a player under the age of 16 in their squad for a competitive fixture at the Emirates Stadium.
Dowman has subsequently already broken an Arsenal record, without even setting foot on the pitch yet.
Max Dowman needs to be carefully integrated
Ashley Cole warned Arsenal fans not to put too much pressure on Dowman, with this level of attention at such a young age potentially unhealthy.
The former Gunners left-back has a point; this amount of noise isn’t conducive to an environment which will get the best out of a talented youngster.
Some level of excitement is certainly inevitable given the nature of social media and how much footage of the player is already available.
However, Arsenal have to carefully manage Dowman’s integration into the first team, and ensure the pressure doesn’t get too much for him as he continues his development.
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