Should Max Dowman Receive More First Team Opportunities?

After Bukayo Saka picked up a serious muscle injury just ten minutes into Arsenal's clash with Bayern Munich, Mikel Arteta was faced with a decision of who to bring off the bench to replace the winger. With Noni Madueke already on the pitch, Arteta opted for the experience of Eberechi Eze and switching Madueke to his more natural right-wing position.

Eze had a really strong performance, probably his best performance of the season so far as he grabbed the opening goal of the 2-2 draw. That being said, Eze has struggled to find his home on the left-flank this season and Madueke has shown some of his best form in an Arsenal shirt recently off the left-wing. That leaves a hole on the right-wing whilst Saka is out injured and Max Dowman could be the player to fill that void.

Dowman has only played a combined 104 minutes in all competitions so far this season, with 90 of those coming in Arsenal's 4-2 win over Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup in mid-September. Five minutes came against Lille and the other nine came against Brighton in the Premier League.

Dowman was exceptional in that Carabao Cup win, he ran the game from an attacking-midfield position and scored two brilliant goals. The performance was so good that Dowman won the Carabao Cup Player of the Round whilst also becoming the second youngest Premier League player to score in a Carabao Cup match, behind only Cesc Fàbregas.

The teenager also picked up three Guinness World Record titles for his record breaking campaign in Arsenals title winning season as he became the Premier League’s youngest ever winner, goal scorer and the youngest player in UEFA Champions League history.

Not only has Dowman been recognised by the history books but also by Lionel Messi himself who included Dowman in his new Adidas campaign in which he included the Englishman in his top ten young players in the world. Being certified by Messi is certainly some praise. “If Messi, who is the best ever player, says that, his eyes are better than anybody else! Hopefully he’s right! Arteta said on the approval.

The reason Dowman has broken so many records and garnered so much attention is clear, his talent is simply undeniable. Having the clubs highest paid player ahead of him in the pecking order as well as Madueke competing for the right-wing spot makes it hard for Dowman to get a real run of games but Dowman's stardom feels inevitable.

With the upcoming congested fixture list and injuries in the frontline, now is the time to ‘hard launch’ him on the big stage. Despite his Ipswich performance coming from a no.10 role, we’ve routinely seen him play on the right-wing, opening up more opportunities for game time.

Dowman has routinely shown throughout his very short Arsenal career that he is capable of moments that no one else in the squad can produce, his signature ‘La Croqueta’ skill move has already seen him score two goals against Everton and Ipswich respectively.

Giving the teenage sensation a run of games at right-wing would not only allow Madueke to continue his good form off the left but also gain valuable minutes in a congested period of the season. Arsenal have five more games before the November international break against Everton, Fleetwood Town, Liverpool, Slavia Prague and Hull. The Carabao Cup fixture against Fletwood will surely see Dowman get his second start of the season but league games against Hull and Everton in the league could prove to be great opportunities for Dowman to impress as well as Arsenals trip to Prague.

It’s been a relatively conservative start to the season for Dowman, the minutes haven’t really been there but that’s come to be expected in such a competitive squad with such high demands. That being said, we are entering a period where he can have those chances and there are opportunities available so it could prove to be the period where Dowman stamps his authority on the team and becomes more of a regular contributor.