Mikel Arteta told there’s a ‘scary’ young player at Arsenal right now who’s ‘very similar to Lionel Messi’

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Mikel Arteta owes a big thank you to Arsenal’s academy.

The Spaniard inherited Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe early in his managerial career, and he has since seen a few more come through.

Ethan Nwaneri was the first to emerge, and his good pal Myles Lewis-Skelly followed in his footsteps and has become a regular now for the Gunners and England.

The Arsenal Academy is showing no signs of stopping, and the next young superstar who could make his senior competitive debut under Arteta has just been compared to one of the greatest players of all time.

Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman is ‘very similar’ to Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is arguably the best footballer the world has ever seen.

The Argentine has won it all for club and country over the years, and apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, nobody in the history of the modern game comes close to him.

A lot of players have been compared to Messi over the years, but very few of them go on to have decent careers at the top level.

Now, one Arsenal youngster has been compared to the Inter Miami superstar – Max Dowman.

Perry Groves has claimed that the 15-year-old is stylistically very similar to Messi, and there are only two things that can stop him from fulfilling his massive potential.

He said on talkSPORT: “He is a scary talent, and I said before, as Arteta said, he’ll be well nurtured at Arsenal because they’ve got a good reputation of bringing younger players through from Bukayo Saka into Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly. So, they’re nurtured very well.”

Groves added: “Well, style-wise, very similar to Lionel Messi, only because he’s left-footed, same sort of build, balance… I’m not saying he’s going to be as good, because Messi is obviously one of the greatest players.

“The only thing that I would say with Max Dowman is that he’s got a good background. The only reason he won’t make the level that he should do with his talent is if he’s unlucky with an injury or injuries, or his attitude isn’t right. And all the reports that I’m hearing about him, he’s a very well-balanced, level-headed young man off the pitch.

“So, as long as he stays like that and he sees Bukayo Saka, who is a brilliant example, he sees Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, where you just calm down and you make sure you’re humble off it, then he’s got the, honestly, the world’s his oyster.”

Max Dowman could do something that Lionel Messi never did

Dowman has made two substitute appearances so far during Arsenal’s pre-season tour.

The teenager looked impressive against AC Milan when he came on, and he was even better against Newcastle United last Sunday.

All signs point towards Dowman making his senior competitive debut in the upcoming campaign, and that would be huge for him.

Playing for the first team at the age of 15 is something that even Messi didn’t do at Barcelona – he only made his debut at the age of 17.

We’re not saying Dowman will go on to become Messi, but Arsenal have got a fine talent on their hands, and if everything goes to plan, he will become a superstar in the coming years.