Mikel Arteta has been told by Wayne Rooney that he should let Max Dowman express himself at Arsenal.
The Gunners managed to beat Everton 2-0 over the weekend, leaving them nine points clear of rivals Man City with just seven games left to go in the Premier League.
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Viktor Gyokeres scored the winning goal in the 89th minute, but perhaps the moment of the game came eight minutes later in added time, when Max Dowman ran the length of the pitch to score his first Premier League goal for the Gunners.
He is the youngest goal scorer in Premier League history, aged 16 years and 73 days. After the game, he was hailed by manager Mikel Arteta.
The Arsenal boss told Sky Sports: “It was a great moment, especially the way that the goal built up, and we had 10/15 seconds to really enjoy what was about to happen, it was magical.
“It’s not only the goal that he scored, I think he changed the game. Every time he got the ball he made things happen, and we looked like more of a threat; At that age with all the pressure and expectations, it’s just not normal.”
Rooney says Arteta must let Dowman express himself
Being such a talent at a young age brings challenges, and many will hope that Dowman is able to fulfil his potential at Arsenal, but to do that, he needs to be developed in the right way by manager Arteta.
Former Premier League striker Wayne Rooney believes the Arsenal boss shouldn’t rein Dowman in, and that he should let him express himself as much as possible.
Rooney told BBC Sport: “Sometimes people think that enjoying success is arrogant and I just think they do it in the [USA]. They enjoy it and they celebrate it.
“So when we’ve got a young lad like that coming through as a 16-year-old, he’s clearly got a lot of ability and you just hope he can go and fulfil that potential.Let him enjoy it and go and express himself.”
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