Arsenal gives debut to second-youngest player in Premier League history

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta handed a debut to Max Dowman, one of the club's most promising academy talents, in Saturday's 5-1 victory over Leeds United, with the young Englishman making his first appearance at just 15 years and 235 days old.

Wearing the number 49 shirt, Dowman replaced Noni Madueke and played for around 30 minutes in the dominant win at the Emirates Stadium, marking a significant milestone in his young career.

At just 15, Dowman, regarded as one of the brightest prospects in English youth football, has been the standout player of Arsenal’s pre-season, even stealing the spotlight from the club’s six new signings, including Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyökeres.

Although Dowman has been training regularly with the first team since the start of the year, Premier League regulations prevented him from debuting until this season. He also won't be able to feature in the Champions League until he turns 16 on December 31st.

With his debut, Dowman becomes the second youngest player to feature in the Premier League, behind only his Arsenal teammate Ethan Nwaneri, who debuted at 15 years and 181 days.