Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that Max Dowman could get more minutes on the right wing with Bukayo Saka injured.
Saka sustained a quadriceps injury during the 2-2 Champions League draw against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
The Gunners fear the Englishman could miss at least six weeks, leaving a huge void to fill on the right side of the club’s attack.
Noni Madueke is Saka’s immediate deputy, and he has been in fine form for the Gunners ever since the international break.
Madueke has been equally successful on either wing since the restart, but he will certainly feature on the right with Saka out.
Meanwhile, Max Dowman is the manager’s other alternative on the right wing.
Dowman’s only start this campaign came in the Carabao Cup fourth round at Ipswich Town, where he was brilliant, scoring two goals from the number 10 role.
As a right winger, the 16-year-old has managed just 14 minutes across two appearances this term, but Arteta definitely sees him playing more.
In today’s press conference, the Spaniard spoke about Dowman’s fantastic performance in last season’s home win over Everton in the Premier League.
He added that the 16-year-old will obviously see more minutes from the right wing in the future.
Arteta said: “It’s something inevitable, to go back to that memory and the feeling of the moment.
“That’s with us, and that’s going to stay in the stadium for a long, long time, I think.
“He’s training, and every time he’s got a moment to play, he’s showing that he’s a player who is going to impact the game, so for sure he’s going to have minutes.”
Dowman, whom Arteta described as ‘special‘, grabbed the headlines against Everton last season.
He provided a fantastic cross towards Piero Hincapie before Viktor Gyokeres broke the deadlock late on.
Dowman later scored a wonderful solo goal with seconds left. With the goalkeeper up, he showed tremendous skill to beat two Everton players before finding an empty net.
The teenager became the youngest Premier League goalscorer as a result, and he could get another opportunity against Everton as a substitute in tomorrow’s encounter.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com