Wayne Rooney has revealed what his eldest son Kai told him about Arsenal’s Max Dowman after playing against him for the first time. Dowman became the second-youngest player in Premier League history when he came off the bench in Arsenal’s 5-0 victory over Leeds on Saturday. He even made an influence on the game by winning a stoppage-time penalties, which Viktor Gyokeres converted.
His excellent cameo has just added to the fascination of the teenager, who is expected to rise to the top, much as Rooney was when he first joined Everton. And the former striker has described a talk he had with his son about the brilliant Dowman.
Kai Rooney’s Take on Dowman
Speaking on the BBC’s ‘Wayne Rooney Show,’ the England legend was analyzing the 15-year-old’s effect off the bench before recounting a chat he had with his son after Kai faced Dowman at youth level.
“We were watching the Arsenal game, and Dowman came on. Kai’s played against him, so I asked, ‘Is he your age?’ Kai replied, ‘Yes.’ Kai is two months older than him. It’s unbelievable that he’s playing first-team football in the Premier League.
“He simply said, ‘You can see he’s a top player.'” And this is what you tell any young player: work hard and you never know. You could be playing under-15s one day and under-18s or Premier League the next. From what I’ve seen, Max Dowman appears to be a really level-headed young man, and you hope he can deal with it.
Rooney junior, although being the elder of the two teens, has yet to make his Manchester United debut. However, he has been promoted to the club’s under-18s, where he scored in just his second outing.
Rooney knows a thing or two about what it’s like to break into the Premier League at such a young age, and he admits it was bizarre.
“One minute you’re in the youth team, the next you’re in the first team dressing room,” United’s all-time leading scorer stated.
“And I’m training and playing with some of my childhood heroes. Becoming friends with.
“I was near Duncan Ferguson’s residence. He lived down the same street as me. Relaxing with Alan Stubbs. And you’re like, “What’s going on here?”
While that may have been Rooney’s experience, Dowman will not be permitted into Arsenal’s first-team dressing room just yet, as the attacker still has GCSEs to worry about next summer.
xz
