Arsenal star Cristhian Mosquera “couldn’t believe” his eyes when he saw Max Dowman for the first time and reckons the Gunners youngster is going right to the top.
Dowman caught the eye in pre-season with a couple of dazzling displays against AC Milan and Newcastle United getting Arsenal fans excited about the prospect.
He became the second youngest ever player in the club’s history at 15 years and 235 days when he climbed off the bench against Leeds United in a 5-0 win in the Premier League earlier this season.
Mikel Arteta described his performance against Leeds as “special” and the 15-year-old has now made three senior appearances in all competitions this term.
And Mosquera, who was signed in the summer transfer window from Valencia, reckons Dowman has a similar style to Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal and is tipping the Arsenal youngster to turn into a world-class player.
Mosquera told The Athletic: “I don’t mean to compare, but his style and way of playing is like Lamine Yamal. His movements are Lamine-esque.
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“I didn’t have him on my radar and when I got to Singapore, he was already training and playing. When they told me he was 15, I couldn’t believe it. He really is an incredible player, and I think he’s going to be world-class.
“You see 17-and 18-year-olds like Myles (Lewis-Skelly) or Ethan (Nwaneri) and they play like they’re 30, like they’ve been playing football their whole lives. It’s incredible.”
When asked recently how senior players have reacted to playing alongside Dowman in training, Arteta laughed: “At the beginning, they responded immediately, kick him!. That was the first one.
“And Max, to be fair, he was excellent. He stood up and got into the next one. You can really take an impression of someone who was 14 last year at some point when he was doing certain things to players.
“And now, yeah, everybody loves him. You just want to hug him, help him. He’s such a nice boy as well, and he’s very much liked by everybody here. And just looking after us.
“It brings responsibility to look after somebody with that talent and make sure we just do what we have to do to make sure we’re giving him the best chance to exploit his talent. That’s all.”
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Jamie Redknapp showered the youngster with praise on Sky Sports in August, he revealed: “The first time I saw Max, I think he was probably seven, eight years of age. I was at a soccer school in Portugal, and I remember saying to his mum and dad afterwards – luckily enough, I gave him player of the day, so I wasn’t a bad judge.
“And I said to his mum, ‘Your little boy’s a fantastic player.’ And they were like, ‘Oh, thank you.’ Yeah, he had an Arsenal kit on.
“And I just remember thinking, I’ve never seen a kid with so much quality in my life. And now, as a 15-year-old, I say the same things. He is one of the best young players I’ve ever seen. His talent is phenomenal.
“I know sometimes you say, well, you shouldn’t build players up – but I am so confident this young man will go on to be one of the best English players we’ve ever seen. He is that good.
“I played against Rooney when he made his debut. He has that same sort of comfort. He’s got a left foot to die for. He’s so confident on the ball. He would have made his debut last year, but I just think there was a rule in the Premier League – they weren’t too keen for someone so young.
“He is so talented, so gifted. He’s got a great support network around him as well, his family. They keep his feet on the ground. The world is at his feet. I can’t wait to see him. Once he gets in the team, it can be very difficult to remove him.”
