Hale End’s recent success stories include Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Following Arsenal Under-18’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup, fans of the north London team are forecasting that Max Dowman will experience a similar fate.
After the Red Devils advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to a goal from Bendito Mantato in extra time, which ended a five-goal thriller, Adam Birchall and his team will now focus on the Under-18s Premier League South.
However, Dowman, who was born in 2009, caused chaos from minute one to minute 120 and was a continual thorn in the side of the eventual winners. The English wonderkid could exhale with pride at his performance on the Emirates Stadium pitch, even though his team lost.
Mikel Arteta and his team have taken notice of the 15-year-old Dowman from Chelmsford, so as the club’s injury crisis worsens, a quick transition into Arsenal’s senior proceedings is undoubtedly in the cards. Against Manchester United, you could bet your bottom dollar that the left-footer was showing for the ball at every chance, which resulted in either a darting run through a forest of bodies or a slower, more skilful jink past a defender.
Due to his obvious talent for drawing fouls left, right, and centre, the latter frequently led to him getting hacked down by a Manchester United teenager, as seen in the video below. He handled the situation with poise and without emotion.
In addition to being calm in confined settings, Dowman used his athletic ability to dance his way through the night. Even though he was only 15, he rarely had a physical disadvantage while playing against opponents four years older than him, and his vivacious personality made him a nuisance all evening.
🏴Dowman vs United U18
Sensational 👏⭐️pic.twitter.com/Q5JUFhXDoP
— 🇳🇴 kimmoFC (@kimmoFC) February 28, 2025
After watching the teenage sensation’s highlights package, fans of the Emirates Stadium team are, predictably, in complete amazement of his maturity at such a young age, his willingness and determination to rush at players, and his unparalleled close control.
One person posted on X (previously Twitter): “They foul you when you’re so good because they can’t stop you otherwise.” Amazing talent. “We had a young man like this, so why didn’t Arteta play him when Odegaard was injured?” asked a second supporter.
Magic Max ✨#AFCU18 | #FAYouthCup | LIVE on https://t.co/l2yjijE876 pic.twitter.com/rvqKmMBPrT
— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) February 28, 2025
Indeed, another compared Dowman’s versatile skill set to that of the previously mentioned Martin Odegaard, who is considered by many to be among the Premier League’s top midfielders, before stating that the young player’s all-action style is highly contagious.
Despite playing with Odegaard’s skill, he possesses a remarkable combination of strength and perseverance. That energy is amazing!
Regarding parallels, Dowman’s dribbles that resemble those of Lionel Messi have drawn notice. He does remind me of Messi in the way he dribbles. He glides with the ball and it sticks to him, but you should never say that about players and that he won’t be as good.
