Arsenal’s 14-year-old wonderkid Max Dowman ‘plays like Kaka’ and has been tipped to feature for England one day by academy coach Gustavo Oliveira.
The Gunners’ famous Hale End youth academy has produced a number of top players over the years, including current first-team superstar Bukayo Saka.
Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are two of the more recent youth stars to feature under Mikel Arteta.
Dowman will undoubtedly be hoping to follow in the footsteps of that trio and he has now received glowing praise from one of his coaches.
‘He plays in the style of Kaka,’ Oliveira told PL Brasil. ‘He can write his name. One day he will play for the England national team and in the Premier League.’
Brazilian hero Kaka, an attacking midfielder, was widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation in the 2000s and early 2010s.
Best known for his spells with AC Milan and Real Madrid, he is one of just nine players to have won the World Cup, Champions League and Ballon d’Or.
Dowman, meanwhile, produced a standout performance for Arsenal U18s on Saturday, registering two goals in a 3-2 comeback win over Birmingham City.
Quizzed about Dowman after the game, Arsenal U18s boss Jack Wilshere said: ‘Max’s performances speak for themselves, but there’s still a lot of room for development.
‘For a 14-year-old, his character and personality are unreal. When we were 2-0 down, he was the one who wanted the ball.
‘[He] drove at their defence and made things happen. His mentality to keep going, despite being kicked, and staying calm in those moments is impressive.’
Dowman, who has built a reputation of being a fast dribbler and gifted on the ball, made his debut for England U17s last month.
That comes despite Dowman being a lot younger than most of his teammates and opponents.
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