Mikel Arteta says Max Dowman must continue to raise his ‘physical levels’ in order to give himself the best possible chance of becoming a first-team regular at Arsenal.
Though Dowman, 15, is yet to make a senior competitive appearance for Arsenal, the attacking midfielder is already being tipped for a bright future in the game by coaches and team-mates alike.
The England Under-17 international has been training with Arteta’s first-team with increasing regularity over the last 12 months and was taken to the Gunners’ warm-weather camp back in February.
This summer, Arteta included Dowman in Arsenal’s squad for the club’s pre-season tour of Asia – and the teenager came on as a second-half substitute in the side’s 1-0 win over AC Milan this afternoon.
After the victory, Arteta’s men took part in a pre-arranged penalty shootout after the final whistle, which Milan won 6-5.
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While Arsenal failed with four of their spot-kicks, Dowman stepped up and cooly sent Milan goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani the wrong way to further enhance his burgeoning reputation.
The north London giants finished the contest with four academy graduates on the pitch – and six in total across the match – and Arteta was delighted with the contribution his young stars made in Singapore.
‘It’s very good. There is a lot of work in our academy with the coaches and the people involved,’ the Arsenal head coach told reporters.
‘It’s a moment to give opportunities, to reward them, and they certainly took the chance today in difficult circumstances against a very big team.
‘But it’s incredible that, at 15 years old, they can perform at that level.’
Asked whether he was especially pleased with Dowman’s performance, Arteta added: ‘I’m very happy with all the kids.
‘I think they are able to play at that level, at 15 years old, in my opinion, because of the environment and the culture that is within the team.
‘When somebody makes you feel so comfortable, so confident straight away, you can go and do it.
‘At least it gives you the best chance, then you have the qualities that this kid has to actually deliver against an opposition like this.’
Arteta has no doubts that Dowman has the talent to be able to force his way into the first-team at the Emirates down the line.
But the Spaniard believes the teen will have to use the ‘good platform’ he has been given to continue to grow and meet the physical demands and challenges that come with senior football.
Asked whether Dowman could be set for more minutes in the first-team next season, Arteta responded: ‘We don’t know.
‘With all the young kids, they are in and around the team constantly they are really getting used to the dynamic, the demands and, especially, they are raising the physical levels because of the demands.
‘To be able to perform and impact the game at that level, it demands really, really high physical standards.
‘They are getting there. I give them a good platform and then they will have to earn it.’
Bukayo Saka’s 53rd-minute goal was enough to seal Arsenal a narrow victory in Singapore – before the friendly shootout – and Arteta was happy to see the forward get on the scoresheet as he builds up his match fitness ahead of the new season.
‘Overall, very happy with the performance, especially with the attitude, the quality, the domination that we showed,’ he continued.
‘Obviously, to win as well and regarding the individuals, a lot of them showed that they are ready at a really good level.
‘Bukayo is one of them. We have pushed him through the summer as well to catch up on a lot of things that he had to, to give himself the best chance to exploit his qualities.’
On the absence of Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes, Arteta explained: ‘Jurrien is still not there, he isn’t fully training yet with us.
‘Gabi had a little niggle in training and because of the fact he’s been out for so long as well, we have to manage him and minimise the risk.’
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