Mikel Arteta says another ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal gem has emerged and ‘he’s taking very fast steps’

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The Arsenal Academy is one of the best in the world.

Hale End has produced a number of incredible players over the years, and some of them have now become regulars for Arsenal.

Bukayo Saka is the biggest superstar, while Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have become household names as well after getting regular opportunities.

Now, another incredible talent is coming through the ranks at Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta seems to have been really impressed with him.

Mikel Arteta shares how Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman is performing in training

Max Dowman has been among the best young talents in England for a couple of years now.

The versatile midfielder only turned 15 at the end of December, but he has been spotted in first-team training sessions on multiple occasions.

Even on Tuesday, ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb, Dowman was called to train with the big boys in the squad.

Arteta faced the media ahead of the game, and the Arsenal manager was asked about young Dowman and what he thinks of him.

The Spaniard heaped praise on the teenager.

He said in his press conference: “Very impressive, at his age as well. Some of the things he does in training are unbelievable. He’s a player obviously with a huge talent that we have a lot of belief that we can develop him into becoming one of our own and he’s doing very well so far.

“At the moment, with all of the legislation, there are restrictions with his age, something that in other countries you don’t even mention. So, we’ll have to wait and see [on senior minutes].

“He’s taking very fast steps because every time you put him in a different challenge, different level, he overcomes ahead pretty quickly, which is great. We are on it.”

READ MORE: What Arsenal really ‘think of’ Hale End wonderkid Max Dowman revealed, as ‘mad’ attribute is named

Can Max Dowman play for Arsenal against Dinamo Zagreb?

Dowman broke a UEFA record this season by becoming the youngest scorer in the UEFA Youth League.

The 15-year-old is a tremendous talent, and the fact that he has been training with the first team shows that he is not too far away from making his senior debut.

However, Champions League rules will not allow Dowman to play because his age made him ineligible to be on either Arsenal’s A or B lists.

The same is the case in the Premier League as well – Dowman will not be able to play this season, but he can make his debut in the 2025/26 campaign.

That is a shame, but training with the first team for a few more months will definitely help him get ready for when he is allowed to make his senior debut.