{"id":1531,"date":"2026-03-31T21:27:48","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T21:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=1531"},"modified":"2026-03-31T21:27:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T21:27:48","slug":"max-dowman-just-delivered-another-masterclass-so-what-now-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=1531","title":{"rendered":"Max Dowman just delivered another masterclass. So what now, England?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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It wasn\u2019t the Emirates or the Premier League, but that didn\u2019t matter to Max Dowman.<\/p>\n

High up in the northern Portugal hills, the 16-year-old Arsenal star offered a compelling glimpse into the future of England\u2019s attack with a goal of the season contender and two assists in a rousing 6-0 victory for England\u2019s under-19s.<\/p>\n

In front of just a few hundred spectators, he ran relentlessly at a Portugal back line that crumbled under the intense pressure of his trickery. The scoreline may indicate a rout in every department, but it was Dowman\u2019s sharp and creative display that made the difference.<\/p>\n

Showcasing these skills is nothing new to Dowman. He has already experienced an unforgettable moment in the Premier League this season, running virtually the length of the field to score Arsenal\u2019s match-clinching goal against Everton, but if Portugal\u2019s youngsters were hoping he would ease off in the less intense surroundings of Estadio Amelia Morais, just outside Braga in northern Portugal, they were mistaken.<\/p>\n

England\u2019s under-19 coach, Will Antwi, finds it both funny and commendable how he\u2019s handling the noise. \u201cHe\u2019s quite attuned to his profile,\u201d he told The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cHe just gets on with his football and plays. I think it\u2019s abnormal to us all because he\u2019s so young, but to him, it\u2019s just normal. Nothing has been a problem, he just gets his boots on, poses for the pictures when he\u2019s asked, and is very graceful about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Max Dowman celebrates his goal against Everton (Alex Pantling\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Perhaps, if anything, these past few days have actually felt like a refreshing break from the Premier League glare, not to mention the stress of revising for his upcoming GCSE exams.<\/p>\n

Two wins out of three games weren\u2019t enough for England to secure qualification for this summer\u2019s Under-19 Euros in Wales, but there still might be an even greater stage for Dowman if he ends the season with a flourish following his return from injury.<\/p>\n

As the content machine around him intensifies and the hype accelerates around the continent, the English Football Association has worked hard to protect him. At the weekend, when he sat on the sidelines for the game against Poland, suspended after picking up two bookings in the earlier qualifiers, he was marshaled by a member of security staff who limited access to just a few selfies with local kids.<\/p>\n

Back in England, Arsenal are taking even greater care, although it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep a lid on expectations. There is, however, a realisation that the way he is handled now will be crucial to his long-term development.<\/p>\n

Still, the feeling continues to be that this fearless teenager is not fazed by the size of an audience, big or small. He only has one way to play and it\u2019s at full throttle. He drives and dribbles, putting the opponent constantly on the back foot, and if it doesn\u2019t work out, he\u2019ll go again.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a saying in Portugal, \u201cQuem n\u00e3o venture, n\u00e3o petisca\u201d, which roughly translates as \u201cno risk, no reward\u201d. It was an apt way to describe Dowman’s performance against Portugal.<\/p>\n

Even when he was substituted after a challenge, he remained the centre of attention, infuriating opponents by not leaving the pitch quickly enough. It was the only laboured thing he did all afternoon.<\/p>\n

As a few of the locals also heckled from the stands, he raised his hands to applaud them, watching on with a giant smile when a flock of children ran down the aisles to get close to him in the dugout.<\/p>\n

No doubt, though, it was his goal that was the defining moment. He picked the ball up midway in his own half, spun the defender, and then raced forward towards goal.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ \"\"\/<\/p>\n

As he burst away from two more defenders, the others started to back off, and he sensed an opening\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

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Then came the end product: a stunning finish from the edge of the penalty area to add to his assists, as if it was never in doubt.<\/p>\n

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To be treated to such a performance by a player not even old enough to buy a beer is as satisfying as it is scary.<\/p>\n

Last week, at a panel discussion for teenagers at a school in the West Midlands, attended by The Athletic<\/em>Aston Villa\u2019s under-18 coach, Richard Beale, reminded those in the room that throughout his entire career, he has seen only one player rise without interruption.<\/p>\n

That was Jude Bellingham, who he coached at Birmingham City. Even Jack Grealish, a former pupil at the school, needed a loan spell at Notts County before breaking through at Villa and later securing a \u00a3100million move to Manchester City.<\/p>\n

It underlines just how rare it is for even players as gifted as Dowman to have a smooth trajectory to the top. Yet he is already a certified game-changer in the Premier League for the champions-in-waiting, and his combination of raw pace, silky skills, tight control, and supreme dribbling feels especially exciting in a season where long throw-ins and set pieces have dominated.<\/p>\n

In an under-19 team also packed full of talent, Dowman makes it all look so easy, gliding across the grass, releasing the ball late. Other attackers, such as Rio Ngumoha, who has made 21 appearances for Liverpool this season, and Chelsea\u2019s Jesse Derry, also have a bright future, but England\u2019s star for now is the youngest player of the lot.<\/p>\n

It may seem strange that he\u2019s featuring at this level despite his club progress, but the feeling within the FA is that there\u2019s no need to rush development.<\/p>\n

Arsenal may have other ideas as Dowman now faces up to an FA Cup weekend and the Champions League quarter-final days later. He\u2019s expected to be in the squad and ready to play a part if called upon.<\/p>\n

Yet this is just the start, and it is not unthinkable that in the years ahead, England will be building their senior team around Dowman. The world has already woken up to his talents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t the Emirates or the Premier League, but that didn\u2019t matter to Max Dowman. High up in the northern Portugal hills, the 16-year-old Arsenal star offered a compelling glimpse … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}