Arteta says 16-year-old is "ready for regular football" at Arsenal | OneFootball

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta stated this Monday that the young midfielder Max Dowman, 16 years old, is ready to fight for a spot in the starting lineup and could play against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League round of 16.

Dowman was the protagonist in the 2-0 victory over Everton last Saturday, a result that consolidated the London team's lead in the English Premier League, with a nine-point advantage over Manchester City.

At just 16 years and 73 days old, he came off the bench to secure the win: first, he started the play that led to Viktor Gyokeres opening the score, and then he scored Arsenal's second goal in stoppage time, becoming the youngest player ever to score in Premier League history.

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When asked if Dowman is ready to play regularly, Arteta replied to journalists: “Yes, regularly. It depends on what you call ‘regularly’.”

“To do what he did at a moment like that is something very rare to see or almost impossible. He did it, but that's football and what you did a few days ago no longer matters. What counts is the next game,” emphasized the coach, who did not reveal whether the youngster will start on Tuesday against Leverkusen.

Left-back Riccardo Calafiori stated that Dowman, who balances football with his studies, is already very well-liked within the squad.

“The first time you see him on the field, you get very curious. He is very young, but at the same time, he is very mature,” praised Calafiori.

“He can improve in many aspects, but he is a talent, as you can see. At the same time, we have to let him be and not talk too much about him, because he has everything,” he added.

Arsenal drew 1-1 in the first leg against Leverkusen in Germany, thanks to a penalty converted in the final minutes by Kai Havertz.

The English side are favorites to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals, but Arteta avoided showing too much confidence.

“We know what we have to do and, in front of our fans, we will put all the energy in the world once again. Hopefully we can do it,” he concluded.

*With content from AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.