Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says 16-year-old forward Max Dowman will get minutes this season but must earn them like any other player. Dowman has been an unused substitute on four occasions this season, most recently against Napoli.
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'Earn your minutes' actually sounds healthy coming from a manager, from where I sit in academy football. Being on the bench four times at 16 is already a decent mark of trust, and if you're thinking about where he'll be in five years, there's no need to rush him now. I read Arteta's words as a vote of confidence, not a brush-off.
Bottom line: Tuesday's trip to Ipswich could be the moment that decides whether Dowman gets on the pitch. Coming right after an unused appearance on the bench against Napoli, the manager's comments read almost like added pressure. Can he seize this one?
When a 16-year-old is getting this much attention, transfer talk usually reaches me eventually. But right now he's still in Arsenal's academy pipeline, and there's no credible rumor with a real source yet. For now I just want to see how much he actually plays in the Carabao Cup.
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