Mikel Merino says Max Dowman reminds him of Lamine Yamal after the Arsenal prodigy continued his development by scoring twice in his side’s 4-2 win against Ipswich.
Dowman, who has been given a host of opportunities at senior level by Mikel Arteta, starred after being handed his first appearance of the season, at Portman Road on Tuesday. The 16-year-old attacker’s classy double eased Arsenal into the last 16 of the Carabao Cup and left Arteta admitting that containing the hype around the England youth international is not an easy task.
Arsenal are managing Dowman carefully and Merino is well placed to see how young talents can benefit from listening to managers and older players. The Arsenal midfielder plays with Lamine Yamal for Spain and believes Dowman is as fearless as the 19-year-old winger.
“There are some similarities in terms of their character,” he said. “They don’t care about the spotlight. They thrive when pressure is at the highest. They are always up for the challenge and they are not shy at all – even facing the biggest names in the game.”
Merino, who also scored against Ipswich, raved about Dowman. “He is an unbelievable talent. We knew it, but every time he goes on the pitch and plays against grown men he makes the difference. He is a big talent and we have to take care of him.
“We have to keep pushing him. He needs to keep learning – eyes and ears open always. There is still big room for improvement in a lot of areas and he knows that. So we are going to be by his side trying to get him to his best level.
“It is a thin line. It is very difficult to have equilibrium sometimes with him, because obviously you want him to shine and show everyone the talent that he has. But you have to sometimes remind them that they are human beings and they are part of a bigger squad and team.
“The good thing with these kind of players – Lamine and Max – is that they are special talents, but at the same time they are very humble. They are always keen to learn and listen to the veterans. That is priceless.”
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Merino also praised Marli Salmon after the 17-year-old impressed against Ipswich. “In that position as a centre-back, you need to be very mature,” he said.
“It’s very important you don’t make many mistakes. Every action is crucial. It’s the same as with Max, he is an unbelievable talent. We try to teach them our experience and they are very good at listening.”