Max Dowman used his one opportunity to walk himself back into the Arsenal picture
Max Dowman starred as Arsenal defeated Ipswich Town 4-2 in the third round of the Carabao Cup earlier this week and his display saw him take the opportunity to put himself back in the first team picture.
The youngster was named in the starting lineup for his side's trip to Portman Road and he was by far the best player as he scored twice to help fire his team into the next stage of the competition.
His appearance in East Anglia was his first of the season and it came after a patient month that saw him not feature in some squads and be an unused substitute in some matches, and after finally being given a chance to impress, he capitalised to put himself back in Mikel Arteta's mind for the first team.
Taking centre stage 🌟
Max Dowman is your Player of the Match 👏
🤝 @WhatsApp pic.twitter.com/hiBCrhpBe2
Having enjoyed a breakthrough term last year in which he made 13 appearances across all competitions and scored one goal to break plenty of records, including becoming the youngest ever Premier League winner, many felt that this season would be the chance for Dowman to really push on in his Arsenal career.
Impressive performances throughout pre-season reinforced those beliefs with his positive displays in his side's friendlies showing once again how good he is and what he can offer the Gunners, but he found minutes hard to come by in the first month of the campaign.
Dowman was named on the bench in the Community Shield win against Manchester City and victories over Coventry City, Chelsea and Napoli, but was not brought on as a substitute while he was left out of the squad for visits to Aston Villa and Sunderland.
The third round clash with Ipswich finally offered the Hale End star a chance for minutes as he was named in the starting lineup, and he did not disappoint. After opening the scoring with a brilliant solo run and finish, he grabbed his second after half-time, finishing coolly into the bottom corner.
In addition to his brace, Dowman completed 23 of 25 passes, created one chance, and contributed in defence to complete an all-round performance that saw him earn the player of the match award.
While it was only a Carabao Cup clash against a weaker side that did offer Arteta a chance to make plenty of rotation, it was a perfect audition for the 16-year-old and he performed outstandingly to put himself back in the first team picture.
Fielded as a number 10 for much of the game, Dowman may have a difficult time displacing the in-form Martin Ødegaard, but more opportunities could present themself on the right flank. Bukayo Saka's performances haven't been world-beating and Noni Madueke also failed to impress before his goal on Tuesday.
Dowman's chances will still be relatively slim over the coming months, but he should still be given plenty of minutes and if there was any doubt over his involvement this season, his taking of his opportunity against Ipswich has very much put him back in the Arsenal first team picture.
Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations