Arsenal have wonderkid to unleash as Declan Rice's eight-word comment speaks volumes

Arsenal can soon unleash "the best 15-year-old in the country" after he started training with the senior team. Max Dowman has been pictured with the first-team squad in sessions this month as the Gunners prepare for another tilt at domestic and European glory in 2025/26.

Dowman has come through the club academy system and has already been capped by England at Under-16 and 17 levels. In January, Mikel Arteta took him to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp after he became the youngest player to appear at Premier League 2 level. Capable of playing in an advanced midfield role or out wide, he's now been given a glowing endorsement by Arsenal star Declan Rice.

"I have had so many texts about Max recently," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "At 15, there is such a long way to go. You can be the best 15-year-old in the country, but it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to be at 18.

"So, you need to be hungry, keep working and keep pushing. I speak to Max a lot, and he has got such a good family around him. He is unreal."

Downman was involved with England in he 2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship last month. Rice has backed him to follow in the footsteps of fellow Hale End products Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who both made an impact at senior level last season.

He's also admitted to taking on the role of mentor to the trio, adding: "I have a great relationship with all three of them, because Max gets to train with us quite a lot.

"I have kind of taken these three under my wing, because I have been in that position before, and I had older players help me out. I get on well with all of them and they are really comfortable around me, which is all part of having a good relationship."

Dowman hit the headlines last September when, at 14, he scored in Arsenal Under-19s UEFA Youth League match with Atalanta. The strike made him the youngest goalscorer in the competition's history.