“Deliver and you play”: Arteta challenges 16-year-old Max Dowman to earn more minutes | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has said the best way for Max Dowman to demand more games for Arsenal is to keep performing on the pitch.

Dowman made the most of his opportunity from the start after scoring twice in Arsenal's 4-2 win at Ipswich Town in theLeague Cup this week. In the process, the winger became only the second 16-year-old to score a brace for a Premier League side, after Wayne Rooney for Everton in October 2002.

Dowman has become one of the most talked about talents in English football, after breaking numerous records since his Arsenal debut.

The 16-year-old has not featured in the Premier League so far this season, but could come into the squad against Brighton this afternoon.

Asked whether Dowman had been demanding more minutes, Arteta said at hispre-game press conference.

"That's the best way to knock on the door - to do it on the pitch, not in the office. I think with that you're just left out of arguments when a player delivers constantly on the pitch every single day in training.

"That's the best way, that's the best signal for the manager, that's the best signal for his teammates as well that they will demand that player play and what Max did the other day amongst all the players as well that haven't played that many minutes, it was really impressive."

Asked how Dowman was developing as part of the first-team group, Arteta said the Hale End product is learning plenty from the club's senior stars.

"Obviously when you see how those players behave daily you know their level of attention they put to any detail, the way they look after themselves, the standard that they set.

"If you become part of that environment, that's only going to raise your level, it's going to educate you in a way that that becomes a normality and when that becomes a normality, then you will hit another level because then you will be able to add to that and that's where Max is at the moment."