Milestone evening at the Emirates
Image by Jaleel Akbash via Unsplash
By Louisa Gavin
Teenage prodigy Max Dowman made history last night as he became the youngest ever player to start for Arsenal at 15 years and 302 days old.
Dowman takes first place in the youngest starters for Arsenal ranking. He overtakes the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Jack Wilshere and Serge Gnabry who went on to have great spells at the club.
He has already caught the eye of the Arsenal faithful since making his first-team debut against Leeds United in August.
Max Dowman up against Carlos Baleba of Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup via Getty Images
Last night he was not only breaking records; he was breaking past Premier League standard players too.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was singing Dowman’s praises after the victory over Brighton, he said: “Today again he has shown some incredible skill, some capacity to run by players at that level in the Premier League at 15. It's something special.”
Max Dowman has been training with the first team since he was 14, which means he has had time to settle into the squad and the squad environment. This certainly showed in his performance against Brighton. He won the most duels, completed the most dribbles, and won the most fouls of any player on the pitch.
Max Dowman and Mikel Arteta share an embrace after being substituted via Getty Images
The winger from Essex seems to be very calm and collected when it comes to his role at Arsenal. Mikel Arteta continued, and said: “For him everything is natural, it is the way he plays and that's the secret, that he doesn't make a big fuss about it. He just does what he does best, play football.”
What makes this rise of the North London youngster even more impressive is how he has been able to hold himself well up against a very strong Arsenal squad. Declan Rice has been especially good at bedding in the promising young players, commenting on performances and joking around with them on the touchline. Max Dowman and others have quickly gained some respect in the dressing room.
The record chasing doesn't end here. If Max Dowman scores at any point throughout the season, he will become the youngest player to score for the Gunners.