Max Dowman’s Everton heroics prove former Arsenal star’s prediction correct

Bacary Sagna’s prediction that Max Dowman would have a role to play in the Premier League run-in came to spectacular fruition on Saturday evening.

The 16-year-old had been tipped for stardom at the beginning of the season even before he made stunning Premier League debut in August against Leeds United.

An ankle injury meant his rapid progress was halted during a three-month absence but it was a measure of the faith Mikel Arteta has in the young forward that Dowman was immediately back in his first team plans once he had regained full fitness.

Despite the attacking options he had at his disposal against Everton last night, it was Dowman whom Arteta turned to in his hour of need with his side looking likely to squander two valuable points in the title race.

It was a case, however, of cometh the hour, cometh the teenager as Dowman turned the game on its head, creating the chance from which Viktor Gyokeres opened the scoring in the last minute, before running the length of the pitch in injury time to put a particularly sweet cherry on an already delicious cake.

While ignoring the more experienced players at his disposal, including Gabriel Jesus, may have represented a risk for some, Sagna would’ve felt vindicated given the praise he lavished on Dowman as recently as last month.

He told Ladbrokes: ‘Max Dowman is unique, he’s special. That kid is very special. When I saw him up close last summer, during pre-season, I had this feeling of Jack Wilshere coming back again.

‘You know, these guys play without fear, and big personalities. Technically he’s very, very good. Every time he got the ball in the summer, he wanted to make something happen.

‘That’s the type of player he is. Players of his quality, at his age, with the level of respect he had for the people around him… that’s a really special person, to have all of that.

‘A lot of young players have talent, but they don’t know what to do with the ball at times, but everything Max Dowman did in pre-season was spot on, and pretty much every time he got on the ball, he created a penalty.

‘I think that speaks for itself; he’s very hard to stop, and that’s a very dangerous player to have in your team.

‘He’s already a champion, honestly. It’s been a long time since I saw a talent like him. Him, Lamine Yamal… I think they play the same football – they’re different from all the other kids.’

Speaking while Dowman was still recovering from his injury setback, he added:’ ‘He’s injured at the moment, and the main thing is that he recovers from that.

‘He needs to make sure that he’s coming back fully fit, and I think the club will monitor him well.

‘Of course, I would love to see him come back before the end of the year, and I still think he could play a big part in Arsenal clinching the title.

‘But, he’s young; at 16, you need to pay attention and take care of your body. You don’t want that injury to come back and cause you any problems in a few years.’