Wayne Rooney shouldn’t be anticipating Max Dowman to make a lot of a contribution to Arsenal’s bid to land the quadruple.
Dowman made a match-changing affect after coming off the bench in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton, supplying the cross from which Viktor Gyokeres opened the scoring within the ninetieth minute earlier than netting himself deep into injury-time to turn into the youngest goalscorer within the historical past of the Premier League.
The win, coupled with Manchester Metropolis’s 1-1 draw at West Ham, noticed the Gunners lengthen their lead on the prime of the desk to 9 factors, though they’ve performed a sport extra.
Arsenal tackle Bayer Leverkusen within the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 conflict tomorrow night time with the tie delicately poised at 1-1 following final week’s sport in Germany. They face Metropolis within the EFL Cup closing on Sunday and Southampton within the final eight of the FA Cup.
It guarantees to be an exciting finish to the season for the North London membership however Rooney shouldn’t be positive how a lot of a job Dowman will play resulting from his educational commitments.
The 16-year-old remains to be at college and scheduled to take his GCSEs in June and the previous England ahead says they might take precedence.
“He has acquired his GCSEs, and his training and I’m positive for him and his household that’s essential as effectively,” Rooney stated on The Wayne Rooney Present.
“What a chance for him to be across the squad. He could possibly be a Premier League winner when he’s nonetheless ending college off.
“He’s acquired an aura and a perception about him and it was the identical in opposition to Everton. If it’s training first, I don’t suppose we’ll see a lot of him over the following few weeks.”
Dowman can have extra to deal with than I did – Rooney
Rooney is in a superb place to guage Dowman having additionally burst on to the scene as a 16-year-old, scoring an excellent winner for Everton in opposition to Arsenal in 2002.
“I used to be again out enjoying with my mates on the streets after the sport,” he stated.
“Now we’re in [the] social media [age]. Individuals will likely be messaging, Instagram or Twitter, no matter he’s acquired. And also you’ll be seeing it in all places.
“So I don’t suppose he can have slept many hours [on Saturday night] as a result of I’m positive he can have been up watching it.
“It’s completely different now, a special age after I was coming via. There was no social media at the moment.
“So it was all in regards to the newspapers and whether or not you favored it or not – entrance web page and again web page. I believe the scrutiny’s not on you as a lot possibly nowadays.”
You need to benefit from the success – Rooney
Dowman’s fearlessness on the ball is paying homage to a younger Rooney and the 40-year-old is an enormous fan of {the teenager}’s method.
“He appears, from the video games I’ve watched, to not let that stress have an effect on him as a result of he will get the ball, he holds on to it, he commits defenders, he goes to take them on, and so he positively appears to be like like he’s acquired a confidence about him,” Rooney stated.
“Mikel Arteta, among the senior gamers within the Arsenal squad, won’t let him get forward of himself. However I believe it’s a must to take pleasure in it as effectively.
“Generally individuals suppose that having fun with success is smug and I simply suppose they do it within the [USA]. They take pleasure in it and so they have fun it.
“So once we’ve acquired a younger lad like that coming via as a 16-year-old, he’s clearly acquired lots of capacity and also you simply hope he can go and fulfil that potential.
“Let him take pleasure in it and go and categorical himself.”
Dowman tops record of youngest goalscorers in Premier League historical past
| Identify | Recreation | Age |
| 1. Max Dowman | ARSENAL v Everton | 16 years and 73 days |
| 2. James Vaughan | EVERTON v Crystal Palace | 16 years and 270 days |
| 3. James Milner | Sunderland v LEEDS | 16 years and 356 days |
| 4. Wayne Rooney | EVERTON v Arsenal | 16 years and 360 days |
| 5. Rio Ngumoha | Newcastle v LIVERPOOL | 16 years and 361 days |
