Max Dowman, 14, is already training with Arsenal’s stars: Rival clubs are circling – but teen who plays like Martin Odegaard could even be playing soon as club try to avoid another Chido Obi-Martin

When it comes to identifying the future stars at Arsenal, or any academy across the country, perspective matters. Just one player from an age group team making the Gunners first XI is rare in itself.

However, the case of 14-year-old Max Dowman feels distinctly different from many of the ‘next big things’ who experienced similar hype in their early teens.

Yes, it’s still early days for Dowman – he doesn’t even have a profile picture on the Arsenal academy website – but all the ingredients are there.

He is tall – previously 6 feet tall, but still growing – and very physical for his age. In Arsenal’s Under 19 UEFA Youth League matches this season, played against the Gunners’ opponents in the Champions League, he has often been the team’s star player, despite coming from several age groups below.

On Sunday he became the youngest player ever to play for Arsenal at Under 21 level or equivalent after coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw against Brighton. A remarkable achievement.

And Rio Ferdinand recently tipped the teenager to become the next youth star to break into Mikel Arteta’s first team.

Mail Sport understands that several Premier League academies have approached Dowman’s father to express their interest in his son. They are all eagerly watching his next steps, with 16 being the minimum age at which a player must sign a scholarship. The earliest Arsenal can officially sign Dowman on a scholarship would be before the 2026-2027 season.

Until then, practically speaking, it wouldn’t be that difficult to lure him away. He turns 15 on December 31, which makes next year all the more important for his future.

Arteta made Ethan Nwaneri his competitive debut against Brentford in September 2022, becoming the youngest player in the competition’s history at 15 years and 181 days.

It is understood Arteta is open to the idea of ​​having Dowman on the first-team bench for a game before the season ends. Arsenal’s hierarchy are keen to show emerging talent that there is a path to the first team after a summer exodus.

Players such as Amario Cozier-Duberry, Lino Sousa and Reuell Walters left for Brighton, Aston Villa and Luton Town in the summer, but the departure that hurt the most was that of Chido Obi-Martin.

The then 16-year-old had broken a string of records, but the striker opted to join Manchester United despite the Gunners’ best efforts to keep him.

It’s no surprise that Arsenal don’t want a repeat of this.

There are clear similarities in terms of playing style between Dowman and Gunners captain Martin Odegaard.

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Against Sporting Lisbon’s Under 19s last week, the youngster played in right midfield in the 3-0 defeat and was confident in both taking on players and directing passes through the backline.

There were a few moments where he sprinted at full speed to close down the opposing goalkeeper in a manner similar to Odegaard, looking left and right to see that no one else joined him before crossing the field stormed off.

His physicality was particularly striking. Dowman consistently dodged and bounced from tackles using excellent hip agility and a lean, but strong upper body. When it came to shoulder-to-shoulder contact, he gave as good as he got and never seemed daunted, even against stronger players several years older than him.

There was even a moment when his aggression spilled over. In the second half, Sporting’s Afonso Moreira jumped off the floor to confront an Arsenal player who appeared to have cut off his head. Dowman waded in and grabbed Moreira by the shirt as the two teens struggled for a few seconds.

Context is key here; this wasn’t the everyday pushing and shoving. Moreira is a 19-year-old with a €60 million release clause, Dowman is a 14-year-old who has barely started studying his GCSEs.

When the Gunners lost 4-1 to Inter Milan, the ball seemed glued to his feet as opposition players time and again dribbled past or became overcommitted to challenges, giving Dowman space to make attacking passes.

In this match he played a midfield role, cutting in from either flank. When he faced Atalanta, he played a more conventional number 10 role behind the striker.

Arsenal’s Under 19s have lost four of their five European matches so far, with only one remaining.

That meant opportunities to get on the ball and drive forward on opponents were difficult to come by. As a result, Dowman occasionally dropped too deep as he seemed to gain possession of the ball.

He burst into the public eye in September last year when Arsenal’s then Under 18 manager Jack Wilshere handed Dowman his debut at the age of 13 in a 4-0 win against Southampton.

“Debut opportunities are not handed out lightly and Max has shown in recent months that he deserves this opportunity,” said Wilshere.

“He handled the moment admirably and sent an important message to the team that when we introduce players, they have the quality to contribute effectively.”

Around that time, he signed a shoe deal with Adidas after being headhunted by Nike and Puma earlier in the season.

In February this year, Dowman was called up to the England Under 16s and subsequently made his Under 17 debut in September, scoring three goals in eight games.

He has made a habit of skipping age groups at national, European and international levels. This is highly abnormal, although it must be emphasized that despite its current trajectory, nothing is guaranteed.

Charlie Patino is an example worth highlighting here. He, like Dowman, is an attacking midfielder who played for the Under 18s at the age of 14.

Sean O’Connor, the club’s chief scout, described him as the ‘best player to ever walk through the doors of the Hale End academy’.

In December 2020, a 17-year-old Patino made his senior debut in a 5-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final win against Sunderland and even found the net.

A path to a regular first-team spot seemed destined, but after a couple of disappointing loan spells at Blackpool and Swansea, Patino signed for Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish second division in August this year. This season he made only three substitute appearances.

Football trajectories are unpredictable. But if you were to put money on which Arsenal academy player will become the next star, Dowman would be a smart bet.