Noni Madueke injury blow leaves Arteta with one move Arsenal fans are begging for

It may have been an international break, but all of the football discourse, as usual, has centred around Arsenal. The main headline is that Noni Madueke suffered a knee injury during the first half of England's friendly against Uruguay at Wembley on Friday night.

A report by the Athletic believes that this issue is not as bad as first feared, but the 24 year old will certainly miss Saturday's FA Cup tie against Southampton, as well as potentially the first leg against Sporting. So, could Madueke's absence open the door for Max Dowman?

Madueke aside, ten other Arsenal players have withdrawn from international duty this week.

Arsenal players to have withdrawn from international duty

• Noni Madueke - England. Played 38 minutes vs Uruguay.

• Martín Zubimendi - Spain. Played 13 minutes vs Serbia.

• Piero Hincapié - Ecuador. Played 72 minutes vs Morocco.

• Jurriën Timber - Netherlands. Missed Arsenal's last 2 fixtures.

• Eberechi Eze - England. Set to be sidelined for 6 weeks.

• Martin Ødegaard - Norway. Missed Arsenal's last 7 fixtures.

• Declan Rice - England. Did not feature during the international window.

• Bukayo Saka - England. Did not feature during the international window.

• Gabriel - Brazil. Did not feature during the international window.

• William Saliba - France. Did not feature during the international window.

• Leandro Trossard - Belgium. Did not feature during the international window.

Of the 11 Arsenal players being widely-criticised by sections of the media, Madueke, Martín Zubimendi and Piero Hincapié all featured in their country's first international before missing the second. Meantime, Jurriën Timber, Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze had all been sidelined prior to the international break, with the latter actually forecast to be sidelined for at least a month, which could be a major blow.

Gabriel, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard did not travel stateside with their national teams, while Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were both sent home by England's medical department who decided rest was best for both. Either-way, who knows what sort of options Mikel Arteta will have at his disposal come Saturday night's FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton at St Mary's.

It's Max Dowman's time to shine again

With a Champions League quarter-final first leg at Estádio José Alvalade three days later, followed by a crucial game in the Premier League title race against Bournemouth, Arteta surely is not going to risk anybody if at all possible. So, on the right-wing, with no Madueke and Saka potentially a doubt, Max Dowman should start against the Saints.

The 16 year old has already made a major contribution this season, essentially winning the recent Everton game single-handedly. After being introduced in the 74th minute, Dowman changed the game. His cross created Viktor Gyökeres' crucial go ahead-goal before, deep into stoppage time, the teenager got his moment, dancing past Vitaliy Mykolenko and then Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall before rolling the ball into an unguarded net, sparking wild scenes of jubilation we won't forget for a while.

After suffering an ankle injury, Dowman's minutes have been limited this season, albeit he was thrown on when Arsenal needed a goal at Anfield in August, as well as making his Champions League debut in Prague. At the age of just 15, he started against Brighton in the EFL Cup as well as at Mansfield in the previous round of the FA Cup, showing he is very much trusted by Arteta.

The youngster's talent has been widely known about for a long time now, with Clive Palmer of Arsenal Vision labelling him "generational", praising his "intelligence" as well as his "unbelievable" passing and dribbling ability. Thus, the fact he was born on New Year's Eve 2009, yes I feel old too, is irrelevant. This kid is good enough to be starting games for the Premier League-leaders.

So, with huge games coming thick and fast throughout April and May, Dowman has to be considered a genuine option. In the absence of Madueke, and Saka not at his best as a result of fatigue, the 4,720 Gooners heading to the South Coast on Easter weekend will be hoping to see the 16 year old sparkle once more.