It has been a productive international break for Arsenal players so far.
Gabriel Martinelli shone for Brazil in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Chile, while Martin Zubimendi impressed too as Spain defeated Bulgaria by the same scoreline.
Max Dowman was also handed a debut for the England U19 side after breaking through at Arsenal this season, as the 15-year-old became the youngest player to ever appear for the Three Lions at this level when coming on against the Ukraine U19 side on Wednesday.
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The teenager did enough to earn a start against Spain on Saturday as the U19 sides played out a 3-3 draw, and he did something that could excite Viktor Gyokeres.
Max Dowman wins yet another penalty
The Arsenal No.56 has many attributes, but his ability to lure opponents into giving away penalties is starting to become something of a trademark.
Dowman won three penalties in his first three senior outings for Arsenal, winning spot-kicks in friendlies against Newcastle and Villarreal, before doing it again on his Premier League debut against Leeds.
This was to the benefit of Gyokeres – who has replaced Bukayo Saka as the penalty taker at Arsenal – as the Sweden international stepped up to dispatch the dead ball against Leeds.
It saw the Swede take his Premier League goalscoring tally to two in two games at the time, alleviating the pressure on his shoulders after a tough debut against Manchester United.
After seeing Dowman win yet another penalty, Gyokeres will surely start to feel that the 15-year-old could significantly help his goalscoring numbers at Arsenal this season if this trend continues.
Mikel Arteta has already shown exactly what he thinks about Max Dowman
During his time as a player at Arsenal, Arteta famously said the following about Anfield.
“Anfield – I was shaking. You’ll never get that experience unless you’ve been there. It’s too late, the game is passing all over me and I cannot react.”
Having felt like this as an experienced professional, it therefore speaks volumes that Arteta opted to throw Dowman into the cauldron of noise that is Anfield last week during Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat.
The Spaniard overlooked the likes of Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri, instead turning to a literal child in the hope of finding an equaliser inside the home of the champions.
That move alone spoke volumes as to how highly Arteta rates Dowman, both from a technical viewpoint as well as when it comes to mentality.