Theo Walcott urges Arsenal teenager Max Dowman to snub World Cup call up if Tuchel picks him | OneFootball

Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has urged Max Dowman to snub a World Cup call-up if he’s named in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

With just under three months to go before England kick off the showpiece against Croatia in Texas, Tuchel has some big decisions to make.

Tuchel has already shown he is not afraid to make surprising calls.

Jude Bellingham was notably left out of the squad back in October, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was overlooked ahead of the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

Those decisions have made it clear that Tuchel is ready to make the tough calls required to give England the best chance of success at the World Cup.

The German now has his sights set on Arsenal starlet Dowman.

The 16-year-old has been turning heads since coming through Arsenal’s academy. He made Premier League history after scoring in the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over Everton.

His last-minute goal made him the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history. At 16 years and 73 days, Dowman broke the record set by Everton’s James Vaughan (16y, 270d) in 2005.

Tuchel is already considering adding Dowman to his World Cup squad after describing him as a ‘game-changer’. But Walcott has urged the youngster not to get swept up by the hype.

Walcott made headlines when he became England’s youngest-ever debutant at just over 17 years old.

He hadn’t even made his senior Arsenal debut when he was selected in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s 2006 England World Cup squad.

Walcott believes that the early call-up placed too much pressure on him and hindered his development as a youngster.

He has now warned Dowman against rushing into the spotlight despite his undeniable potential.

“I hope he [Dowman] doesn’t go,” Walcott said (via the Mirror). “I don’t mean it in a horrible way because if I could go back in time, I would change things.

“I do still see him and me differently as he’s playing in the Premier League, but he needs to grow at his own pace, especially on the emotional side, because he’s a young adult.

“In time, he will go, yes, but I don’t think this is the time, and I think there are better players who arguably deserve to be there ahead of him.

“He will eventually get there, but England have wide players doing really well, there’s Bukayo [Saka], [Noni] Madueke, Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes on the other side.”