Dowman handed England reality check as Arsenal star eyes long-standing record

Arsenal sensation Max Dowman has been told that he won't necessarily go straight into the England squad with the U21s seen as his next step.

The 16-year-old, who became the Premier League's youngest ever goalscorer last season, has enjoyed a rapid rise and is now being talked up for a senior spot with the Three Lions. He has been Thomas Tuchel‘s radar since before the World Cup, but is poised to play with the U19s on Friday.

Lee Carsley, the U21s boss, could see a host of his players step up after five players, including Declan Rice and Cole Palmer, pulled out of the England squad that have four matches in the next 10 days, starting with Spain on Saturday.

But Carsley has made it clear that Dowman's next step will almost certainly be with the U21s, not the senior squad, as the coaches attempt to ensure he enjoys a natural progression, which they believe will lead to a long lasting England career.

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He said: “It’s important players develop at their own pace. Max is an outstanding talent, the timing and the balance of when he comes to the Under-21s is inevitable.

“He’s going to the U21s because of his talent, but we have to make sure we do that at the right time. We have to be patient and make sure that ultimately we want them to play for the senior team for a prolonged period. So we have to make sure that we get the time right with that. We had a similar issue a few years ago with Ethan Nwaneri."

Carsley did make clear: “Thomas and I speak regularly about squad selection and obviously Max is always in the conversation because of his talent.

The England U21 boss, who has won successive Euros with the Young Lions, cited the experience of former team-mate Wayne Rooney as an outlier. He jumped age groups to make his senior debut at 17 years and 111 days, but that is very much seen as an exception to the rule.

Dowman still has time on his hands to make history with England. He has until March 30 to break Theo Walcott’s 20-year record as the country's youngest-ever player at 17 years and 75 days old, which he achieved when he ran out in 2006.