Martin Odegaard embarrassed by 15-year-old Arsenal wonderkid labelled ‘generational talent’
Max Dowman has been one of the standout stars of Arsenal’s pre-season campaign with the 15-year-old midfielder impressing against AC Milan and Newcastle
Arsenal prospect Max Dowman demonstrated his potential in a training session after going head-to-head with Martin Odegaard. The youngster has been one of the standout performers for the Gunners during pre-season.
Despite only being 15 years old, Dowman has caught the eye of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who gave the attacking midfielder a 25-minute run-out against AC Milan last week. After his promising performance, Dowman was given a 30-minute spell in Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Newcastle United in Singapore on Sunday.
His impressive dribbling skills were on full display, earning a penalty which Odegaard slotted home for the winning goal.
While it’s yet to be seen if Dowman’s pre-season performances will earn him a regular spot in the first team, the teenager has certainly made a positive impact. A video shared on Arsenal’s YouTube channel from a recent training session only added to the buzz around Dowman’s potential.
Upon receiving a pass on the wing, Dowman quickly controlled the ball, creating space from his marker before cutting inside to begin his run. He shrugged off a potential challenge before deftly flicking the ball away from Arsenal skipper Odegaard and continuing his attack.
Dowman showcased his speed to beat another defender, only to see his cross meet the side-netting after a swift run down the wing. An encouraging voice off-camera shouted, “Unlucky”, yet Arsenal supporters are buzzing about the teenager’s potential.
One supporter said: “The way Max Dowman drives the ball with so much confidence. He’s gonna achieve great things in his career. What a generational talent we have got!” Another added to the praise: “Sheeesh Max is frickin great on the ball.”
A third fan commented: “You can just see how Max Dowman is running through players, that boy is good man.” A fourth echoed those thoughts: “Max looks like the best on the training pitch, the respect the senior players have for this kid, they can’t even get near him.”
One supporter summed up the growing hype around the midfielder: “Max Dowman is a gem!”
Arsenal boss Arteta seems to concur with the fans’ assessments, especially after Dowman’s contribution to Arsenal’s win against Newcastle on Sunday.
“Yeah, it is special,” Arteta said of Dowman during his press conference. “Obviously, what he’s done today against this team in the time that he had on the pitch is something certainly not common to witness for a 15-year-old. We are extremely happy to have him.”
Arteta has shown a penchant for nurturing talent from Arsenal’s academy ranks during his time in charge. Last term, Hale End products Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri became regulars within the team.
Dowman is among the young hopefuls joining the pre-season squad, and Arteta sees it as a valuable opportunity for the academy prospects. However, he has not confirmed that Dowman will have a permanent spot in the first team for the forthcoming season.
“We don’t know with all the young kids,” Arteta explained after the victory over Milan. “At the end they are in and around the team constantly and they getting used to the dynamics and the demands.
“And especially raising the physical levels because the demands they need to perform and impact at the level is really high physical standards. They are getting there and that gives them a good platform and they will have to earn it.”
In the meantime, Dowman has made quite an impact on his Arsenal colleagues. Declan Rice was full of praise for how the youngster has risen to the challenge of first-team football, describing Dowman as an “unreal” talent.
“Max is obviously unbelievable,” Rice said. “There’s a lot of talk about Max and how good he is. But there’s also five or six other young lads who also play tonight. Marli, Josh Nichols, Louis Copley, who was on the bench.
“The group that have come with us have actually really, really surprised me. First I’ve seen a lot of them. Obviously I know Max, but just how composed they are, calm they are for 15, 16 years old. It’s way different to how I was.”