The Max Dowman hype train kicked up another considerable notch on Friday night after the teenage sensation’s incredible display for Arsenal’s Under-18s side against Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup.
Despite being a full three years younger than several players involved in a thrilling quarter-final tie at the Emirates Stadium, the midfield prodigy was the best player on the pitch by a considerable distance for the most part as he really showed what all the fuss is about in front of an excited crowd of 7,500 people.
Dowman showed his class from the outset against United, delivering a superb performance full of outrageous passes and unstoppable runs as he glided around the pitch looking a cut above, bamboozling opponents and leading several with no choice but to bring him down and earn a place in the referee’s notebook.
His brilliant display reached its peak in the second half of normal time as he surged from midway inside the United half into the box and was brought down by a helpless Reece Munro.
Dowman quickly dusted himself down to step up and dispatch the resulting penalty firmly and coolly into the bottom corner, giving Will Murdock no chance despite the United goalkeeper guessing the right way with his dive.
There were immediately a few scary moments for Arsenal as Dowman appeared to injure himself while producing a knee slide in the corner to celebrate his goal, though he was quickly back to his feet and gave a thumbs up to the bench as he ended up lasting for the full 120 minutes.
Though his influence waned slightly as inevitable tiredness crept in, Dowman still had one huge chance to win the game for Arsenal in nine minutes of stoppage time after Jaydan Kamason’s late thunderbolt levelled the tie at 2-2 following first-half goals from Jack Fletcher - son of Darren Fletcher - and Louie Copley, embarking upon another mazy run into the area before shooting straight at a relieved Murdock.
Despite that and Arsenal eventually coming out on the wrong side of a 3-2 scoreline after Bendito Mantato’s extra-time winner laid on a plate by fellow substitute Samuel Lusale, Dowman’s performance was the biggest talking point of Friday night’s game from a Gunners perspective.
It was a display all the more astonishing when you consider that the attacking midfielder only turned 15 on New Year’s Eve.
Why Max Dowman can’t play for Arsenal first team
The significant hype and praise around Dowman is certainly nothing new, with the player having trained several times already with Arsenal’s senior side this season and recently been taken to Dubai with the rest of the first-team squad for a warm-weather training camp.
He has already shattered plenty of records for the Gunners, including making his debut for the U21s aged just 14 and becoming both the youngest player ever to score in the UEFA Youth League and to feature in the Premier League 2.
His sheer skill and versatility coupled with Arsenal’s ongoing injury woes in attack has led to repeated calls from fans for Dowman - who plays for England at U17 level - to become part of the senior squad on matchdays, though manager Mikel Arteta recently revealed that was not currently possible due to Premier League regulations.
Current top-flight rules state that players in a matchday squad cannot be drawn from an age group lower than the U16s, with Dowman having been registered with the U15s at the start of the season.
And Arteta admitted that it would be very hard to change that now before the end of the current Premier League campaign.
"We had Max, we had many other kids as well there [in Dubai],” Arteta said earlier this month. “It was a big opportunity for us to see them in our environment.
“It’s clear the rules on age and restrictions at the moment and very difficult to change that as well.”
