Rio Ferdinand fears one among Arsenal’s most influential players under Mikel Arteta might be in search of a brand new club within the near future following Max Dowman’s stunning breakthrough.
The 16-year-old announced himself within the grand manner on Saturday night, coming to his side’s rescue against Everton with a match winning cameo having been brought on with the scores level and just over 1 / 4 of an hour remaining.
Dowman proceeded to take the sport by the scruff of the neck and it was his cross that helped create the pandemonium which led to Viktor Gyokeres breaking the deadlock with the clock ticking towards 90 minutes.
Higher was still to return for the Hale End Academy graduate who became the youngest scorer in Arsenal’s history moments later when he outwitted two defenders, sprinted the length of the pitch and rolled the ball into the empty net with Jordan Pickford stranded up field.
Dowman looks guaranteed to feature more prominently in the approaching weeks as Arsenal eye all 4 major prizes on offer, but Ferdinand fears the teenager’s emergence could have consequences for Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.
The Norway international had been on the periphery anyway this season because of injury, but Dowman’s breakthrough will only see the competition for places in Arsenal’s midfield intensify moving forwards.
‘You already know Odegaard won’t get a game now,’ Ferdinand told his YouTube channel when considering the impact Dowman’s coming of age moment could have on the more established members of Arteta’s squad.
Your football fix
Metro‘s Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy evaluation, transfer talk and his tackle the week’s biggest stories direct to your inbox every week.
Enroll here, it’s an open goal.
‘Seriously, your captain may be gone. You’ve got Dowman who can play his position, Eze can play his position. Saka can play his position and go in there and go central. It’s mad.
‘Saka may have an even bigger season next 12 months than he does this 12 months trust me, stats-wise and data-wise. This 12 months he’s been down.’
Asked how Arteta should use his newest attacking weapon over the course of the run-in, Ferdinand added: ‘Just proceed what he’s been doing this week.
‘Dipping him in, just keep giving him 15 or 20 minutes. Just keep putting him in because there’s no substitute for that confidence and what that may do as an injection of energy into your team.’
Odegaard, meanwhile, is battling to regain full fitness having missed the last five matches because of this of a knee injury he aggravated against Brentford last month..
Arsenal’s skipper has been ruled out of tomorrow night’s Champions League last 16 second leg tie against Bayer Leverkusen but Arteta hinted their is an outdoor likelihood he could have a task to play in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
Arteta said: ‘So we’re really pushing, he really desires to attempt to be available, but we’ll should wait and see in the subsequent few days when he trains with the team how he feels.
‘We all know the sport that we’re going to be playing in a couple of days again, and the more players that we now have the higher.’
Odegaard, himself, knows a thing or two about being tipped for stardom at such a young age given the hype that accompanied his debut for his boyhood club, before his much-hyped move to Real Madrid.
Asked in regards to the role he could play in keeping Dowman’s feet on the bottom, Arteta said: ‘All of the experiences that the players have they usually can share and explain.
‘It’s very useful because probably he’s going through things that a few of us previously would have been at his age, not many, but Martin is a very good example.
MORE: Mikel Arteta sends class message to former Arsenal star after West Ham’s draw vs Man City
MORE: Mikel Arteta provides Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard injury updates
MORE: £130million Champions League star told to snub Arsenal and join Chelsea