Arsenal told to avoid Max Dowman mistake after ‘getting it wrong with Ethan Nwaneri’
Mikel Arteta has been warned he must be careful to nurture the development of Arsenal star Max Dowman in the early stages of his career.
Dowman scored a late goal as Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 last time out and remains in and around the first-team squad, having now established himself.
However, similar was seen with another Hale End academy star Ethan Nwaneri, who has since moved on loan to Marseille after a lack of first-team opportunities.
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Arteta must learn from the mistakes made with Nwaneri with regard to Dowman’s future.
The 16-year-old has burst onto the scene at the Emirates Stadium, but ahead of Arsenal’s transfer window plans, they must be careful with his development.
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VISIT THE ARSENAL TRANSFER HUBArsenel told to be careful with Max Dowman’s development
Football Insider revealed last summer that Dowman impacted Arsenal’s transfer plans after staking his claim to a regular first-team place and reducing the need for additions.
He has since made seven senior appearances across all competitions this season, but the Gunners have been urged not to get carried away.
“Max Dowman has come in and been fantastic, for a 16-year-old kid,” Brown told Football Insider.
“That’s a major success for Arsenal and their academy, but it’s also a problem for them, because they see him as part of the first-team, but not as a starter.
“Who is he going to replace in that team to get regular minutes? Bukayo Saka? Martin Odegaard?
“I think Arteta has to learn from the situation with Ethan Nwaneri. He was, and still is, a very promising player, but he couldn’t get game time at Arsenal.
“It was a difficult decision for Arsenal to send him out on loan, and I think they got it wrong sending him to France with Marseille where it hasn’t worked out.
“But if you look step by step, he came into the Arsenal team as a substitute a few times, was never quite good enough to start games but needed playing time, eventually went out on loan and now it’s a difficult time for him there.
“They need to look at Dowman and think how can they avoid making similar mistakes. How can they get him more regular football to help his development?
“It’s such a difficult thing in football, managing players of that age who are clearly very bright talents when you’ve got players already in their position.”
How has Ethan Nwaneri fared since joining Marseille?
With Dowman inevitably being compared to his fellow Arsenal academy graduate, they have been told to learn from what has happened to Nwaneri.
The midfielder failed to gain a regular place in Arteta’s side and subsequently was allowed to leave on loan, but the move has been far from successful.
Football Insider reported that Nwaneri is having a “nightmare” at Marseille as he has failed to make the desired positive impact on their starting XI.
Shorly after his arrival, Marseille were knocked out of the Champions League, and Roberto de Zerbi stepped down from his role as manager.
Amid the chaos, Nwaneri has made just eight appearances for the Ligue 1 club, starting only half of those, and has failed to impress.
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