Arsenal have their very own Lionel Messi kind participant on their books in Max Dowman.
That is in accordance with former Gunners winger Perry Groves, who raved concerning the 15-year-old rising star.
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Dowman has massively caught the attention throughout pre-season to this point, making his senior debut for the membership towards AC Milan.
Then towards Premier League rivals Newcastle, he starred after coming off the bench, successful a penalty in a 3-2 victory.
Clips of his performances have gone viral and the hype across the teenager has reached a brand new stage forward of the brand new marketing campaign.
However Groves has seen this breakout coming, admiring Dowman’s method and admitting watching him play ‘took his breath away’.
“I heard about him coming by Hale Finish and thru the age teams,” Groves stated on talkSPORT on Wednesday.
“He was 13 taking part in with the U16s… I then noticed him play reside for the primary time with the U18s towards Man United within the FA Youth Cup.
“He was taking part in towards gamers three years older than him, and after ten minutes, he took my breath away.
“I had by no means seen a participant that good… he was introduced down for a penalty and he picked it up, he has this pure steadiness, he is left-footed so he seems to be very sleek, he is acquired the owl’s head so he is all the time on the flip.
“He is acquired this system you could’t actually coach, the place he is stop-start, stop-start, so once you’re taking somebody on and also you suppose you have gone previous them, however he’ll cease and begin, and find yourself scrambling the opposition’s mind.
“We noticed that now within the Newcastle sport, with Joelinton not getting wherever close to him and bringing him down.
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“So, he’s a scary expertise and he’ll be well-nurtured at Arsenal as a result of they have an excellent repute of bringing youthful gamers by, like Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.”
Groves added that Dowman’s silky, left-footed play makes him the same kind of participant to the legendary Messi.
He additionally tipped the Arsenal academy product for the highest, until two issues handle to get on this method to cease him.
“Fashion-wise, he is rather a lot like Lionel Messi,” Groves said. “Solely as a result of he is left-footed, the identical kind of construct, acquired the steadiness… I am not saying he’ll be nearly as good as Messi as a result of, in fact, he is one of many biggest gamers of all time.”
He added: “Dowman has an excellent background to him, the one purpose he will not make the extent that he can along with his expertise, is that if he is unfortunate along with his accidents or his perspective is not proper.
“And from all of the reviews I’ve heard, he is a really well-balanced, level-headed man off the pitch, so so long as he stays like that, then the world’s his lobster.”
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Construct him like Bellingham
The previous Arsenal ahead additionally mentioned how Dowman must be greatest progressed ahead in his profession on the membership.
And he known as for the Gunners to take a look at Birmingham Metropolis’s remedy of Jude Bellingham as he was breaking into the primary crew at simply 16 years previous, with that ultimately main him to Actual Madrid.
“He is too good in the mean time for a mortgage,” Groves continued.
“The one purpose that he wasn’t within the Arsenal squad on the finish of final season was due to the Premier League guidelines with 15-year-olds not taking part in within the facet.
“It’s important to nurture him and I will return to Jude Bellingham, clearly a generational expertise, he did fantastically and Borussia Dortmund and now at Actual Madrid.
“At Birmingham, he was dealt with brilliantly as a result of they performed him within the Championship, the place it is muck and nettles and also you get smashed all over the place.
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“They performed him left-wing-ish, staying out of the primary maelstrom the place that is all occurring and he may study his commerce as a result of they needed him to develop bodily earlier than they performed him extra central.
“So, I feel that Max Dowman will find yourself taking part in within the wider areas, however as his profession progresses, and if he goes on that trajectory, he’ll find yourself being in that inside left or a quantity 10.”
Arteta’s evaluation
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been blown away by Dowman’s latest performances throughout pre-season, together with everybody else.
Talking after he shocked in a substitute look towards Newcastle, Arteta stated: “It’s particular.
“Clearly what he is carried out immediately towards this crew within the time that he had on the pitch, it is one thing definitely not widespread to witness for a 15-year-old.
“So, we’re extraordinarily pleased to have him.
“I feel, once more, the atmosphere that’s round him, his household, the folks on the membership, the academy as nicely.
“Tremendous useful as a result of they put him into this place so early in his journey, having an actual probability and an actual presence when he performs for the primary crew.”