Mikel Arteta issues Max Dowman update ahead of next season

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has revealed that academy prodigy, Max Dowman, is set for a role in the first-team.

The 15 year-old midfielder has been dubbed as one of Hale End’s best ever products, and has caught the eye of many after scoring 19 and assisting 5 goals in just 23 appearances in red and white this campaign.

Academy duo, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, have both made their debuts this season, and Arteta has shown talented young players a clear route to the first-team, something which was initially doubted.

The likes of Amario Cozier-Duberry, Reuell Walters, and Lino Sousa, have all departed the Emirates in recent seasons, while former striker, Mika Biereth, declared that there was ‘a feeling that there was no real opportunity’ in North London.

Speaking about Dowman earlier this month, Arteta revealed that “we [Arsenal] certainly got a big, big talent there.”

As a reward for his hard work, Dowman has been called up to the under-17 England squad for their European Championship campaign, where he has started both games so far in the tournament.

However, yet to see victory, England look set to be knocked out in the group-stage, with their final game commencing on Monday, which would see Dowman and the squad return home earlier than expected.

Arteta has revealed that this summer will still be busy for the teenager, though, as he is now expected to be involved in Arsenal’s pre-season tour: “I think Max [Dowman] probably will be in and around pre-season. Obviously, he’s got a very busy schedule in the summer because he’s at a tournament at the moment and he’s going to need some rest.”

The Spaniard then revealed that ‘another few’ academy stars will also be called-up to the Gunners’ trip to Asia, where they face AC Milan, Newcastle, and Tottenham Hotspur.

With Arteta aiming to gift ‘a nice, beautiful surprise’, the frontrunners for the final spots on the plane to Singapore and Hong Kong include Maldini Kacurri, Jack Henry-Francis, Michal Rosiak and Andre Harriman-Annous, having all been involved in the first-team setup in the last year.