Arsenal have their own Lamine Yamal – he’s a better talent than Bukayo Saka

Arsenal have a serious gem on their hands in Max Dowman.

The 16-year-old has made six first-team appearances this season, the latest being the Gunners’ 2-1 win over Mansfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round.

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Dowman, who played 77 minutes in attacking midfield, could and perhaps should have got on the scoresheet.

Dowman delights against Mansfield

He pounced on a loose pass from Mansfield goalkeeper Liam Roberts just outside the 18-yard box and drove towards goal before firing off a shot, only to be denied by the latter’s outstretched left boot.

Dowman forced Roberts into another superb save early in the second half when he burst past two Mansfield players on the outskirts of the centre circle and rolled the ball past another prior to letting a left-footed effort fly.

Those were just two bright moments in a display that was mature beyond Dowman’s teenage years as he stood head and shoulders above his teammates.

Remarkable stats behind Dowman’s best showing yet

According to FotMob, Dowman registered the highest expected goals (xG) of all players in the match at 1.01, the second-highest expected assists (xA) with 0.39, the most shots on target (three), the most touches in the opposition box (13), was fouled the most (three times), and won the most ground duels among Arsenal players (seven from 12).

Safe to say, the sky is the limit for Dowman, who even won a penalty on his Premier League debut at age 15.

Aside from remarkable ability to slalom past defenders with the ball at his feet, Gunners legend Perry Groves was quick to point out another valuable trait already on display from the teenager.

And, in a major warning for Arsenal‘s rivals, it is one that will make Dowman even more of a nightmare to defend going forward.

Groves: Dowman ‘better’ than Saka at same age

“He’s a generational talent, without any shadow of a doubt,” Groves said on the latest episode of Inside Gooners.

“If you look at the age groups, with (Bukayo) Saka coming through, (Ethan) Nwaneri coming through, (Myles) Lewis-Skelly coming through, he’s a better player at 16 than even what Bukayo Saka was.

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“I remember Steve Bould, I talked to him when he was in charge of the Under-18s about Bukayo Saka and he said to me, ‘Make no mistake, I’ve got one at the minute, he’s going to be a superstar.’ He was talking about Bukayo Saka.

“The thing with Max Dowman is, we’ve got a street footballer in Eberechi Eze. He’s (Eze) learnt his football in the cages in south London.

“If you look at Max Dowman, he is a street footballer. What I mean by that is, he does things that you can’t coach, you can’t teach. It is all natural in his body. He doesn’t overthink stuff, he just does it.

“I got a bit of stick when I saw him against Manchester United’s Under-18s, he ran the show. He was 15, against 18-year-olds. I said he reminded me of his balance and the way he moves like Lionel Messi.

“But the thing that stands out with Max Dowman is, Lionel Messi is five-foot-eight. He’s six-foot.

“So what’s going to happen is, he’s still filling out, he’s nowhere near as strong as what he’s going to be in his body as he fills out.”

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Inside Gooners host Adrian Clarke went a step further, stating Dowman is on the same trajectory as a heavy Ballon d’Or favourite.

Dowman’s Yamal destiny?

“The speed of his dribbling is something I haven’t really seen outside of Messi,” Clarke said.

“I think he’s going to be of Lamine Yamal‘s level. I think that’s what we’re talking about here with Max Dowman. He is good enough.”

Another standout element of Dowman’s game Groves pointed out was the teenager’s fearlessness.

Some players at Dowman’s age would, perhaps understandably, rein their game in should they misplace a pass or be sent flying by a crunching tackle from a rival defender.

Yet Groves does not see any of that in Dowman, who evidently has the support of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to make in-game mistakes and learn on the job.

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“There’s no fear,” Groves said.

“So when he goes to take players on or lets it run across his body and he drops his shoulder, if he gets tackled, he doesn’t think, ‘Well, next time I better lend it.’

“He goes, ‘Actually, no, I’m going to do it again.'”

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