Max Dowman is now Arsenal’s first wide option off the bench

Max Dowman was the only wide player on the bench in Munich apart from Eze. So far this season he’s played just 14 minutes in the Premier League and Champions League combined, but that looks set to change.

He’s unlikely to start against Everton at the Emirates on Saturday, but if Arsenal need a spark, he’s now the obvious option. He already knows how to make an impact in this fixture. When the sides met in March, Dowman came off the bench with the game goalless at a crucial stage of the title race, helped set up Viktor Gyokeres’ late winner, then picked the ball up in his own half and raced clear to slot into an empty net in stoppage time.

That 2-0 win made him the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, at 16 years and 73 days old, beating a record James Vaughan had held for more than 20 years.

His biggest chance could come three days later. Arsenal travel to League Two side Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, and it’s hard to see Dowman not starting after what he did in the last round. Against Ipswich last month, he played the full 90 minutes and scored twice in a 4-2 win, becoming only the second 16-year-old to score twice in a game for a Premier League side, after Wayne Rooney in 2002.

We all know how talented Dowman is with the ball, but Arteta’s system asks a lot of his wide players without it, and that has been a challenge even for experienced internationals like Eze and Madueke. But Arteta promised Dowman he would get his chance if he earned it. With Saka out, Dowman now has the perfect opportunity to show he’s ready for more.