Mikel Arteta hails ‘massive’ potential of record-breaker Max Dowman

PRAGUE – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hailed Max Dowman’s “unteachable” talent after the England youth international became the youngest player ever to feature in a Champions League game at 15 years and 308 days.

Dowman came on in the 72nd minute of the 3-0 win at Slavia Prague on Nov 4, replacing Leandro Trossard in midfield.

“The first ball he gets, he takes people on. He starts to dribble and gets a foul. That is personality, that is courage,” said Arteta.

“You cannot teach that. You either have it or you don’t. It doesn’t matter what his passport says – you throw him in this context and he is able to adapt and have a good performance.

“We have a massive player there.”

Dowman was already the youngest Arsenal player to start a match, doing so in the League Cup against Brighton & Hove Albion six days earlier.

He made his first-team debut in July and English Premier League debut in August, the second-youngest in the league’s history after clubmate Ethan Nwaneri.

Nwaneri, who also played in Prague on Nov 4, was 15 years and 181 days old when he made his top-flight debut with Arsenal in 2022.

In the Champions League, Dowman took the record previously set by Youssoufa Moukoko at 16 years and 18 days with Borussia Dortmund in 2020.

Mikel Merino, who scored two second-half goals before Dowman came on, was also full of praise for a player who has been on Arsenal’s books since 2015.

“Every time he steps on the grass, he’s just an amazing player to watch. You see him with a flair, with energy and with confidence in his game. It is lovely to see him perform,” said the Spaniard.

Stand-in captain Bukayo Saka opened the scoring from the penalty spot on 32 minutes as the Gunners recorded a 10th straight win in all competitions and an eighth consecutive clean sheet.

They have scored 11 goals and conceded none in the Champions League so far as they maintained their perfect start. Only them and Bayern Munich have an unblemished record in the Champions League this term, but the German side are top on goals scored.

Meanwhile, the Gunners’ local rivals Tottenham Hotspur say they are supporting 22-year-old Italian international defender Destiny Udogie and his family after he was allegedly threatened with a gun by an agent in London.

Police arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with the incident in September. He has been bailed while inquiries continue.

The Metropolitan Police’s spokesperson said: “Officers spoke to the victim and during the course of their investigation, it was also reported another man in his 20s had also allegedly been blackmailed and threatened by the same individual.”

Police were called late in the evening on Sept 6 to reports a man in his 20s had been threatened with a gun in a north London suburb popular with Tottenham and Arsenal players.

Udogie started Tottenham’s 4-0 Champions League home win over Copenhagen on Nov 4. REUTERS, AFP