Arsenal’s Max Dowman, 15, is most exciting young talent in the country – no wonder Arteta is desperate to unleash him

MAX DOWMAN is quickly proving to be the most exciting young talent in the country.

At 15-years-old, the Hale End midfielder made a mockery of Arsenal’s FA Youth Cup quarter final against Manchester United on Friday night – despite the eventual 3-2 defeat after extra-time.

Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman put on a masterful display in the FA Youth CupGetty

Dowman, 15, was the star of the show against Man Utd in the semi-finalGetty

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is desperate to unleash Dowman into the first teamGetty

Up against opponents two or three years older, Dowman was easily the best player on the pitch, and seemingly on a different planet, already vastly too good for U18s football and the envy of rival academies.

As well as the 7,500 fans present at the Emirates, this jaw-dropping performance was streamed live on the FA’s YouTube channel for all to appreciate.

If Dowman was not known nationwide already, he certainly is now.

By full-time, his name was trending on social media, partly thanks to a mesmerising second half dribble from the halfway line to win a penalty that he then converted to make it 2-1.

It is no wonder Mikel Arteta is desperate to fast-track another academy star into his senior squad, especially after the frightening impact of Ethan Nwaneri, 17, and Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, this term.

Had it not been for red tape, Dowman – who turned 15 on December 31 – may have already made his senior debut, following in the footsteps of Nwaneri who became the youngest ever Premier League debutant at 15 years and 181 days in September 2022.

Having been registered for the U15s at the start of the season, Prem regulations state that no player under the U16s age group can be included in a match day squad.

It is the same in the Champions League, needing to be at least 16-years-old to feature.

Despite this, Dowman has spent large parts of this campaign training with the first team, including joining the senior stars on their mid-season warm-weather trip to Dubai last month, and will likely be a part of the pre-season travelling party this summer.

But just like with Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, Arteta will be patient to find the right moment to unleash him.

In January, Arteta said of Dowman – who also plays for England’s U17s: “Very impressive. At his age as well, some of the things he does in training are unbelievable.

“He’s a player with huge talent and we have a lot of belief that we can develop him to become one of our own. He’s doing very well so far.

“At the moment with all the legislation there are a lot of restrictions for his age, something that in other countries you don’t even mention. It is very difficult to change as well.

“We’ll have to wait and see. He’s taking very fast steps because every time you put him in a different challenge, a different level, he overcomes that hurdle really quickly which is great.”

Dowman already has an aura about him, hence why he was kicked lumps out of by United’s kids, something he may have to get used to – akin to Jack Wilshere or Jack Grealish.

He reacted at the end of the first half when he earned a yellow for a studs up tackle of his own, showing a nastiness to his game.

At full-time, after a gruelling 120 minutes, Dowman was clearly angry, but showed his maturity by heading straight to the home fans to applaud them on his own.

There was a buzz in the crowd when he glided around the pitch with the ball, untouchable at times.

Yet you could tell he was playing with the handbrake on – not wanting to embarrass his opponent too much.

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Youngster Dowman created a huge buzz at the Emirates in the FA Youth Cup semi[/caption]

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Dowman is already training alongside Arsenal’s first team stars[/caption]

Records tumble whenever Dowman is involved, becoming the youngest player to feature for Arsenal’s U21s earlier this season.

And in September, he was the youngest in history to score in a UEFA Youth League tie in a 4-1 loss to Atalanta at the age of 14 years, eight months and 19 days.

Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri were at the Emirates on Friday to watch Dowman and the rest of their former teammates. In another world, they would have been playing.

Academy manager Per Mertesacker was also present, smiling as he applauded the team down the tunnel from the director’s box. What a job he has done since taking the role in July 2018.

It was not just Dowman who impressed. Centre back Marli Salmon, 15, and keeper Jack Porter made their mark too. The Arsenal’s production line is strong yet again.

The U18s were given the first team experience at the Emirates, even playing the anthem ‘North London Forever’ in the dressing room, as well as over the stadium speakers before kick-off.

When Dowman was in full flight United’s youngsters couldn’t handle himGetty

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Dowman will hope to follow Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly into the first team[/caption]

Meanwhile, United’s youngsters also stuck to tradition, arriving at the ground in their club-embroidered blazer, shirt and tie.

Arsenal coach Adam Birchall said: “[The Emirates] is a spectacular place to come and play your football. It’s where a lot of these lads will go to bed at night dreaming of playing in the end.

“When the dust settles, I know that they’ll never forget this night. But we need to make sure that this night, regardless of the score, is a springboard to go and kick on and try to build a career.”