Mikel Arteta promises Max Dowman he will get his chance, but with one condition
Max Dowman is yet to feature for Arsenal’s senior team this season.
The 16-year-old made history last season, becoming the youngest player to start a Premier League game when Mikel Arteta gave him the nod against Crystal Palace.
Before that, he came off the bench against Everton and scored his first senior goal in unforgettable fashion when he ran with the ball from his own half.
This season, he has been an unused substitute on four occasions, including the Champions League trip to Napoli, but was left out completely against Sunderland.
Instead, he featured for the U21s at the weekend, where he played 60 minutes in a 4-1 loss to Chelsea. It’s only a matter of time before he’s reintroduced into the first team.
Ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup game at Ipswich, Arteta was asked whether Dowman would start at Portman Road. His answer was encouraging, but came with a caveat.
“Max will have his chance. He will have his minutes and he will have to earn them like anybody else.
“You know the talent that we have, the players that we have there, we need to help him and find a way to make sure he continues to develop.”
Arsenal’s trip to Ipswich will be their third consecutive away game in the space of eight days.
It doesn’t get any easier before the international break either, with a visit to Brighton coming up at the weekend.
Four away games in a row is a brutal run of games. Arteta will no doubt rotate heavily for the cup game tonight.
The likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz will be rested, leaving the door open for a player like Dowman.
Arteta has also spoken about the squad’s attitude to cup competitions. “We will look at the players’ eyes, they will say they want to play, they want to win the game.” This Arsenal group does not take nights off, regardless of the competition.
If Dowman does feature tonight, the question will be how quickly he can force his way into the Premier League picture.
Arteta has promised the minutes are coming. Now it is over to the teenager to earn them.