Max Dowman might be the most exciting talent in the Premier League right now, and a Fulham boss has just been speaking about his potential.
On Tuesday, Dowman became the Champions League’s youngest player ever, coming on as a substitute aged just 15 years and 308 days.
This season, the youngster is being eased into first-team action by Mikel Arteta, after impressing during pre-season.
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Arsenal fans are excited by Dowman’s potential, and so they should be after hearing what one of Fulham’s talent spotters had to say about him.
Max Dowman applauds after Slavia Prague vs Arsenal
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Huw Jennings on Max Dowman playing as a youngster vs Fulham
Head of Football Development at Fulham, Huw Jennings, has been raving about the potential of Arsenal youngster Max Dowman.
Dowman, who’s been compared to Bukayo Saka, is on the verge of becoming an important first-team member, despite his age.
The Fulham chief recalls the time the Cottagers faced Arsenal in the Youth Cup, and despite being the youngest player on the pitch, Dowman really stood out.
Jennings told More Than The Score: “On Max Dowman, he played against us in the Youth Cup, which is the primary cup competition for youth football in the country.”
“But it wasn’t just his ability on the ball, which was top level, it was also his maturity and understanding of how to control a game.
“He displayed a level of maturity when he was almost definitely the youngest player on the pitch, to control the game,” added Jennings.
“It’s one thing to be the top talent, but it’s another thing to be a player who shows a level of maturity to control the game, and some players are mature emotionally beyond their years as well.
“Of course, the challenge sometimes comes when, if you look 10 years down the track, can they actually cope with the demands physically and perhaps psychologically when maybe the game isn’t quite as easy as it was when they were 15?”
Mikel Arteta has also hailed Max Dowman’s maturity
After the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Slavia Prague, Arteta was also full of praise for Dowman’s maturity, suggesting his personality on the pitch is something which cannot be taught.
When asked what excites him most about the teenager, Arteta told the media: “What he’s done on the pitch that he comes in, the first ball he takes, he takes people on, starts to dribble, gets a foul.
“That’s personality. That’s courage. You cannot teach that. You have it or you don’t, and it doesn’t matter what his passport says. You throw him in, and he’s ready to adapt and have a good performance. So really happy.”
The 15-year-old has already played 143 minutes of competitive first-team action this season and should get more game time as the campaign goes on.