Pre-season is synonymous with talented youngsters getting opportunities to test themselves in first-team football and that could well be the case again at Arsenal this summer.
It has long been anticipated that 15-year-old Max Dowman will get a chance with the senior squad in pre-season and the midfielder is one of a host of academy prospects who have travelled with Mikel Arteta’s team to La Manga for their initial training camp.
A selection of those youngsters will travel on the main tour to Singapore and Hong Kong later this month, with the sessions in La Manga key in determining who will be on the plane.
Forward Andre Harriman-Annous and 15-year-old centre-back Marli Salmon are amongst those to have travelled to La Manga along with midfielders Louie Copley and Harrison Dudziak.
Winger Ismeal Kabia has also been called upon along with full-back Josh Nichols and centre-back Maldini Kacurri (pictured). Kacurri played three times while on loan at Bromley in the second half of last season having previously made his Arsenal debut in the same game as Nichols and Kabia against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.
It will be interesting to see which players make the final selection for the tour, with Harriman-Annous having a good chance of being included.
The England U18 international anticipates space very well and is excellent at holding up play, while he has scored some important goals for Arsenal at various youth levels.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird