{"id":3748,"date":"2026-03-16T18:31:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T18:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=3748"},"modified":"2026-03-16T18:31:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T18:31:28","slug":"rio-ferdinand-names-the-arsenal-star-who-could-be-gone-because-of-max-dowman-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=3748","title":{"rendered":"Rio Ferdinand names the\u00a0Arsenal star who ‘could be gone’ because of Max Dowman | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t<\/div>Rio Ferdinand has tipped Max Dowman for superstardom (Picture: YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Rio Ferdinand fears one of Arsenal\u2019s most influential players under Mikel Arteta could be looking for a new club in the near future following Max Dowman\u2019s stunning breakthrough.<\/p>\n
The 16-year-old announced himself in the grand manner on Saturday night, coming to his side\u2019s rescue against Everton with a match winning cameo having been brought on with the scores level and just over a quarter of an hour remaining. <\/p>\n
Dowman proceeded to take the game by the scruff of the neck and it was his cross that helped create the pandemonium which led to Viktor Gyokeres breaking the deadlock with the clock ticking towards 90 minutes. <\/p>\n
Better was still to come for the Hale End Academy graduate who became the youngest scorer in Arsenal\u2019s history moments later when he outwitted two defenders, sprinted the length of the pitch and rolled the ball into the empty net with Jordan Pickford stranded up field.<\/p>\n
Dowman looks guaranteed to feature more prominently in the coming weeks as Arsenal eye all four major prizes on offer, but Ferdinand fears the teenager\u2019s emergence could have consequences for Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. <\/p>\n
The Norway international had been on the periphery anyway this season due to injury, but Dowman\u2019s breakthrough will only see the competition for places in Arsenal\u2019s midfield intensify moving forwards.<\/p>\n
\u2018You know Odegaard might not get a game now,\u2019 Ferdinand told his YouTube channel when considering the impact Dowman\u2019s coming of age moment could have on the more established members of Arteta\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t<\/div>Max Dowman is the talk of world football after Arsenal\u2019s win over Everton (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u2018Seriously, your captain might be gone. You\u2019ve got Dowman who can play his position, Eze can play his position. Saka can play his position and go in there and go central. It\u2019s mad.<\/p>\n
\u2018Saka will have a bigger season next year than he does this year trust me, stats-wise and data-wise. This year he\u2019s been down.\u2019<\/p>\n
Asked how Arteta should use his newest attacking weapon over the course of the run-in, Ferdinand added: \u2018Just continue what he\u2019s been doing this week. <\/p>\n\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Max Dowman is now the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u2018Dipping him in, just keep giving him 15 or 20 minutes. Just keep putting him in because there\u2019s no substitute for that confidence and what that can do as an injection of energy into your team.\u2019<\/p>\n
Odegaard, meanwhile, is battling to regain full fitness having missed the last five matches as a result of a knee injury he aggravated against Brentford last month..<\/p>\n
Arsenal\u2019s skipper has been ruled out of tomorrow night\u2019s Champions League last 16 second leg tie against Bayer Leverkusen but Arteta hinted their is an outside chance he could have a role to play in Sunday\u2019s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City. <\/p>\n
Arteta said: \u2018So we\u2019re really pushing, he really wants to try to be available, but we\u2019ll have to wait and see in the next few days when he trains with the team how he feels. <\/p>\n\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is still struggling with a knee injury (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u2018We know the game that we\u2019re going to be playing in a few days again, and the more players that we have the better.\u2019<\/p>\n
Odegaard, himself, knows a thing or two about being tipped for stardom at such a young age given the hype that accompanied his debut for his boyhood club, before his much-hyped move to Real Madrid. <\/p>\n
Asked about the role he could play in keeping Dowman\u2019s feet on the ground, Arteta said: \u2018All the experiences that the players have and they can share and explain.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s very useful because probably he\u2019s going through things that some of us in the past would have been at his age, not many, but Martin is a really good example.<\/p>\n
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