England Under-21s coach Lee Carsley says Max Dowman’s name regularly crops up in squad selection discussions with Thomas Tuchel, but he is wary of promoting the Arsenal youngster too quickly.
Rumours have circulated this week that the 16-year-old could be invited to train with the senior squad at St George’s Park during the Interlull, giving Tuchel a chance to run the rule over him.
With several senior players withdrawing, including Declan Rice, there has also been talk of Dowman being bumped up from the Under-19s, for whom he has 10 caps, to Under-21s as part of a reshuffle across the age groups.
Whether it happens this time or not, Carsley believes the teenager’s promotion to the Under-21s is “inevitable”.
“He’s definitely an outstanding talent. It’s inevitable that he’s going to be with the Under-21s because of his talent,” [he said.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cqx2z4x4m9zdo)
“But we have to make sure we do that at the right time, that he comes away with us and plays minutes and competes with the other players that are in his position.
“We had a similar issue a few years ago with Ethan Nwaneri. He was early and he made his debut and he’s done really well but there’s that tendency to push him on quickly.
“We have to be patient and make sure that ultimately we want them to play for the senior team for a prolonged period so we have to make sure we get the time right with that.”
There are plenty of examples of talented prospects being fast-tracked into the senior setup, but progress during the teenage years is rarely linear. We’re seeing that with Nwaneri, who has barely had a sniff at Arsenal following an impressive breakthrough. Myles Lewis-Skelly, meanwhile, spent much of last season on the sidelines before re-emerging as a midfielder.
Carsley will also be mindful of Lewis-Skelly’s experience with England. He bypassed the Under-21s and scored on his senior debut, but subsequently fell out of favour for club and country. He dropped back down to Carsley’s squad and has only now earned a recall, a year after his last senior appearance.
“It’s definitely not ‘one size fits all’. I think some players are just ready for it – physically, mentally, ready to compete – and they’re at the stage where they’re just above that age group and we have to make sure that we get the time we want with that.
“Obviously me and Thomas \[Tuchel\] speak regularly about squad selection and you know of what potentially you might need with the 21s, so Max is always in the conversation because of his talent.
“We’re fortunate we’ve got some really good players in a lot of the forward positions, but he’s definitely one we really rate.”