Mikel Arteta reveals Max Dowman plan after Arsenal wonderkid rips Ipswich apart | OneFootball

Youngster beat a record set by Wayne Rooney with brace at Portman Road

Mikel Arteta admitted it will not be easy to hold Max Dowman back after his starring role in Arsenal's Carabao Cup win over Ipswich.

The 16-year-old made his first appearance of the season and marked it with a brace, firing the Gunners to a 4-2 victory and into the fourth round of the competition.

Dowman opened the scoring after a lovely shimmy sat Ipswich defender Cedric Kipre down, with the teenager then firing a composed finish into the back of the net.

He doubled his tally shortly after the break when he rolled the ball into the far corner, becoming the first 16-year-old to score two goals for a Premier League side in a match since Wayne Rooney in 2002.

Arteta said ahead of the match that Dowman had to earn his minutes this season, like any other player, and the Arsenal manager faces a tough balance of protecting the teenager while also knowing just how much of an impact Dowman appears ready to have.

"If he does what he does on the pitch, it's not easy [to slow down the hype]," Arteta said.

"I understand. What we have to do is look after him. He's 16 years old, you don't see that in this league.

"In other leagues in Europe, that's a totally different contest. In this league, with the demands that the league, the players and everything puts on you, we need to make sure that every time we throw him in it's with the right context, with the right preparation.

"It's not just that he can run past someone, there's a lot more things that we need to look after him.

"But he will dictate that in terms of how he behaves every single day and how many reasons he gives us to play him because he's part of our squad."

Arteta hailed the "remarkable" calm with which Dowman and Marli Salmon, who played the full 90 minutes at centre-back, handled the occasion and the step up in physicality.

Dowman's first goal had similarities to his finish against Everton last season, when he left the defender on the floor with his close control.

He will now be hoping to get more opportunities to produce those type of situations in the Premier League.

"Max, it's inevitable to talk about him when he scores and creates the moments that he has tonight," Arteta said.

"It's normal. He can deliver those actions effortlessly, I would say. That's his biggest quality.

"He's an unbelievable player because of the character he has and how much he loves to play at the biggest stage and handle the situation so naturally."