Max Dowman kicked for Arsenal training act as Mikel Arteta dealt new blow
Mikel Arteta has revealed that Arsenal’s players wanted to kick starlet Max Dowman for his silky training ground moves, and has also provided a fresh injury update regarding Kai Havertz
Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal’s senior players wanted to kick the prodigious Max Dowman after being nutmegged by him in training. The Gunners’ head coach has also issued a more negative update regarding Kai Havertz’s spell on the sidelines.
Dowman dazzled for Arsenal in pre-season, having been hailed as the next great thing to emerge from the club’s Hale End academy. Such promise was realised when he made his Premier League debut last month against Leeds United, winning a penalty in stoppage time.
The future seems bright for Dowman, but Arteta has revealed that his peers haven’t always been so welcoming of his embarrassment-inducing skills.
The Spaniard has also opened up about Germany star Havertz’s turmoil. He suffered a knee injury in training last month and underwent surgery, adding to a list of stricken Gunners that now includes Noni Madueke, as Mirror Football brings you all the latest from the Emirates.
Arteta admits Arsenal stars ‘wanted to kick’ wonderkid Dowman
Dowman looks like a star in the making for the Gunners, and a silky operator when he picks up the ball in his preferred No. 10 role or out wide.
READ MORE: Noni Madueke’s Arsenal injury layoff revealed as Mikel Arteta laments ‘big miss’READ MORE: Arsenal matches Noni Madueke will miss as huge Mikel Arteta injury blow confirmed
But some Arsenal players didn’t take kindly to him nutmegging them in training. Arteta was asked about Dowman, who has been training with the senior squad since the age of 14, and revealed that some stars gave him a rough welcome.
“At the beginning, they responded immediately – kick him! That was the first one, and Max, to be fair, he was excellent, stood up, and got to the next one,” said Arteta.
“You can really take it personally, of someone who was 14 last year, at some point when he was doing certain things to players, and now everybody loves him. You just want to hug him, help him.
“He’s such a nice boy as well, and he’s very much liked by everybody here. It brings responsibility to look after somebody with that talent and make sure we just do what we have to do to make sure we’re given the best chance to exploit his talent, that’s all.”
Havertz ‘really missed’ by Arsenal but is months away from return
Arsenal boss Arteta will be without forward Havertz for most of the season after he underwent knee surgery last month. The side’s frontline has been dealt a further blow, too, after winger Madueke picked up a knee injury in their 1-1 draw against Manchester City.
Giving a new, disappointing update on Havertz, Arteta said: “With Kai, we know that it will be months with him. I don’t know if it can be weeks, you never know, because this is Kai and he’s a different specimen.
“We really miss him. Hopefully, he will be back, and back for the long term as well, so it is very important to look after that knee. So far, he’s progressing pretty well.”
Madueke is another who will be missed, and Arteta added: “It looks like he [Madueke] is going to be out for a few weeks. We don’t know yet, we’re probably going to have to scan him next week again.
“He felt something at the beginning of the [City] match, he tried to carry on, and at half-time, he was too sore, so let’s see. He was gutted, obviously. Very disappointing to see because he was in such a good state.”
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
