4 Max Dowman overreactions after inspiring Arsenal to Carabao Cup victory

Once in a blue moon, a young player puts on the Arsenal shirt, and he completely wows the crowd. It seems to be happening a lot more in recent history, but fans will be the last to complain.

The latest Hale End player to prove he's special is Max Dowman. It all began when he broke the Premier League record, becoming the youngest player ever to make a Premier League appearance. It was impressive enough, but the next task was always: okay, you've got a chance; now prove you're worth it.

My word, Dowman has more than justified the privilege of playing for the Arsenal. He proved it yet again against Ipswich last night, where Dowman was the best player by a country mile.

Let's take a step back, not overreact, and let him blossom in his own time. Sike. Let's meditate on all the joyful thoughts he's giving Arsenal fans right now.

Max Dowman is akin to Santi Cazorla on the ball

Hear me out.

I know, I know. It's too early to draw comparisons to past players. I agree with you. However, not to break the fourth wall too much, but you kinda did click on a headline called 'Max Dowman overreactions'.

I can't help but be reminded of Santi Cazorla whenever I see Dowman on the ball. The way the ball just sticks to his boot, as if he's lathered it in superglue - that's exactly how it felt to watch Cazorla.

They said you couldn't get the ball from Cazorla in a phone box. Well, good luck getting it from Dowman, too.

Max Dowman can play on the left wing if Mikel Arteta wants him to

Arsenal have a left-wing problem. It's not an overreaction to say that, but some might consider it an overreaction to throw Max Dowman's name into the ring.

Dowman's first goal came from some fine work on the left wing. He wasn't playing in this position, but he one-twoed the ball with Eberechi Eze, who was.

First off, he dispossessed Ipswich, then he ran, sat down the defender, and coolly converted the ball. What more could Arsenal want from a left wing? Assists? Yeah, he got one of those last night, too.

Max Dowman is cut from a truly rare cloth

Hard work beats talent when talent is hardly working.

Lionel Messi was naturally talented, and he was hard-working. That's why he is the greatest football player of all-time. Relax, I'm not about to compare Messi with Dowman. Not even I would go that far. Yet.

It's relevant because naturally gifted players are sometimes susceptible to throwing in the towel and letting their technical ability slip.

Dowman is technically gifted. He was born with a talent; this much is clear from how he moves with the ball at his feet. Low centre of gravity, elite footwork; these are things only on display at 16 when you have them naturally.

If he keeps his head down and works hard to improve the non-technical areas of his game, there's no reason why we won't be talking about one of the best players in the world in the future.

Max Dowman had every right to say no to Viktor Gyokeres

What I liked the most about Dowman's first goal against Ipswich was the confidence. After laying it off to Eze, Dowman could have easily let Viktor Gyokeres take the ball. It did seem to be heading in that direction.

But he refused. He took the ball himself, and he only had an eye for goal. It was a risky choice, because if the ball hadn't found the net, we would've pointed to Dowman's inexperience

In Dowman's mind, though, missing was not an option. It was the kind of arrogance that Arsenal needed to break the deadlock, and look, Gyokeres could do with some arrogance of his own right now.

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