Mikel Arteta has defended his reaction to Max Dowman’s red card against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday and has launched a scathing criticism of the 16-year-old’s three-match ban, claiming he could have broken his foot as a result of the challenge that led to his controversial sending off.

Arteta appeared to be angry with the teenager as he made his way off the pitch following his red card, which followed a dangerous tackle from behind from Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal in the 85th minute of the shock defeat in the Carabao Cup.

Arteta had suggested after the loss to the League Two side that he warned Dowman to be ready for heavy challenges and had urged him not to react to physical treatment, and issued a warning to the teenager on Friday that he is not in “Disneyland”.

"What do you expect?” Arteta said before Sunday’s match at Liverpool. “That’s the level and that’s the reaction. Whether it’s right or wrong, that’s the reaction. And the reaction when I don’t win, I’m f----- off, big time. This is the environment and the reality.

"We are not in Disneyland, we are in the Premier League. We look after him so much but we are also demanding as he needs to earn the right to play otherwise what are the rest of the boys going to tell me?

Arsenal failed in their bid to overturn Dowman’s three-game ban with the Football Association confirming they had dismissed claims of both “wrongful dismissal and excessive punishment”.

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