Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman is "too good" not to be involved with the first team this season, and he has special qualities that make him stand out above former Gunners protege Charlie Patino, expert Charles Watts believes.
The 15-year-old is expected to be part of a Premier League squad for the first time when Mikel Arteta's men face Manchester United in Sunday's mouthwatering Old Trafford clash, having been one of Arsenal's standout pre-season performers at such a tender age.
Dowman won penalties for Martin Odegaard to convert against Newcastle United and Villarreal, before being rested for the Emirates Cup in order to allow him to enjoy his summer holidays.
The 2009-born attacker was ineligible to debut last season on account of being registered as an Under-15s player, but a competitive breakthrough is seen as inevitable this season, and Watts believes that he "has" to turn out for the seniors in the coming months.
“You can’t forget about his age, as amazing as it was to watch what he did in pre-season," Watts told Sports Mole. "He is just a kid. He needs to be able to still be a kid at times, and so there is a duty of care there.
“But I do think he will be involved. I don't think he can't be involved, he's too good not to be. It was remarkable to see what he did in those games. And you're coming up against Premier League team. A real physical Newcastle team, he just bullied them with the ball. He was so good. They couldn't get the ball off him, they had to result to just kicking him and giving away penalties against him.
Dowman has "undeniable" ability to help Arsenal win
Arsenal's Max Dowman pictured on February 28, 2025
“He just makes things happen when he's on the ball. When you've got a kid who's that talented, sometimes you just have to play them. They have to get minutes. Arsenal will be well aware of his age. But they'll be very well aware of his quality and what he can add to this squad.
“Do I think he'll start all the time? No, it’s too early for that. But he's proven he can change games. And when you prove that, you're going to play. Mikel will play you if you're good enough to change games, because at the end of the day, he wants and needs to win football matches. And Max Dowman can help Arsenal win football matches. We've seen that this summer. That's just undeniable now.”
Arsenal Hale End talents rising through the ranks to enormous hype is nothing new, and the last Gunners youngster to generate so much excitement before Dowman was arguably Charlie Patino, another fleet-footed English phenom.
The midfielder repeatedly caught the eye at youth level and scored on his senior debut against Sunderland in the EFL Cup in 2021, but he failed to achieve his potential in North London, despite two relatively productive loans with Blackpool and Swansea City.
Patino is now representing Deportivo la Coruna in the Spanish Segunda Division, having left Arsenal for a paltry £1m last summer, and he only played seven times for his new club in the second tier during his debut campaign.
Asked whether there is a fear of another Patino-type situation with Dowman, Watts admitted that the concern was there, but he also highlighted qualities the 15-year-old possesses that his predecessor lacked.
How Dowman is a class above failed talent Patino
Charlie Patino in action for Arsenal on January 9, 2022
“There is a fear," Watts added. "With Charlie, the physical side of things was a struggle for him when he made that step-up. I don't think the loans worked out that well for him either. A really key summer for Patino was when he thought he was going to go on the tour and he didn't go. He got the news really late, and that really knocked him.
“If Arsenal could go back and do that summer again, they might do it a little bit differently when it comes to Patino. But I think that there were always doubts there, certainly from the management group, that the physical side of things was just a bit too much for him.
“He had the quality. He understood the game, he was fantastic at that. He read the game so, so well. But I think Max has something that Charlie just didn't have - that ability to ride tackles, that extra bit of pace as well to really move away from players. When you come up to the intensity of Premier League, if you can't move away from tackles and you just don't quite have the pace and movement, you're going to get eaten alive.
“Arsenal probably saw that a little bit with Patino. I don't envisage Dowman having the same sort of issues that Charlie had. He runs with the ball so quickly; it's remarkable how quickly he travels. And even when he was 14, he just looked ready.
“Physically, he's already well ahead of where Charlie was at a similar age. But his ability on the ball, to ride tackles and escape the massive clashes that could come his way, I think just puts him on another level.”
If Dowman makes an appearance at Old Trafford tomorrow, the attacker will become the second-youngest Premier League player of all time at 15 years, seven months and 16 days, only behind fellow Hale End graduate Ethan Nwaneri (15 years, five months, 28 days).
> Click here to listen to the full discussion about Arsenal's Dowman and former phenom Patino
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