Who is Max Dowman? Arsenal academy talent labelled ‘the best 15-year-old in the country’ | OneFootball

Arsenal fans may have only just become used to seeing Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri as first-team regulars, but there’s already plenty of excitement about another Gunners academy prospect – 15-year-old Max Dowman.

Dowman is yet another product of Arsenal’s famed Hale End academy, which has produced the likes of David Rocastle, Bukayo Saka and the recent breakout duo of Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly.

Dowman will be hoping to emulate that duo sooner rather than later, and though he may not make a Premier League debut this season – as Nwaneri did at the age of 15 years, 181 days to become the competition’s youngest ever player – there is nonetheless plenty of buzz around the young attacking midfielder.

He is training with the Arsenal first team squad with increasing frequency, having taken part in the warm weather training camp in Dubai in January, and Declan Rice called him “unreal” in March when asked to comment by the BBC.

But who is the youngster, and what has been his story so far?

Dowman’s career so far

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Max Dowman has made several appearances for England U17s already (The FA via Getty Images)

Dowman was born on New Year's Eve in 2009 in Chelmsford, Essex, and made his debut for Arsenal U18s in September 2023, aged just 13.

In September of last year, he made his debut for England U17s – scoring in a 5-0 win over Mexico – before becoming the youngest player ever to score in a Uefa Youth League game when he netted in Arsenal’s 4-1 loss to Atalanta.

He has since featured 13 times for the England U17s and even became the youngest ever Premier League 2 player at 14 years old in December 2024.

It has certainly been a quick journey to first team training at Arsenal, though it remains to be seen whether Mikel Arteta will use him at any point in this season as he did when he handed Nwaneri his debut in 2022.

And several figures have been sure to temper expectations on the youngster, with Rice pointing out that “you can be the best 15-year-old in the country, but it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to be at 18”.

"You need to be hungry, keep working and keep pushing. I speak to Max a lot and he has got such a good family around him,” added the England midfielder.

More recently, former Gunners left-back Ashley Cole also tried to ease the pressure on the youngster, saying that the level of expectation on him is unfair.

“You have to be a little bit more careful on how how you handle this younger generation of players,” said Cole. “You heap this pressure on these players and I don’t think it’s fair.”

What can fans expect from Dowman?

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Dowman featured in the Arsenal U18 side in the FA Youth Cup this season (Getty Images)

The 15-year-old most often used as an attacking midfielder for club and country, though he has played at right wing for the Gunners youth teams too. Last year, an Arsenal youth coach compared him to Kaka in an interview.

He has proven an adept dribbler at youth level and clearly possesses a good eye for a key pass and through ball, though of course it remains to be seen how his career and positioning will progress.

And while it is unlikely that fans will see much – if any – of Dowman on the biggest stages for the foreseeable future, his habit of playing for much older age groups means he could well be seen in senior domestic competition for the Gunners.

However, Arteta revealed earlier this year that it will be difficult for Dowman to make his Premier League debut this year, as he was registered with the U15s at the start of the season, and league rules dictate that players in a matchday squad cannot be drawn from an age group lower than the U16s.