Arsenal youngster Max Dowman has been ruled out for two months after suffering an ankle injury in a behind closed doors friendly against Manchester United.
Max Dowman Suffers Ankle Injury
Arsenal youngster Max Dowman is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
The 15-year-old sustained ligament damage to his ankle after being injured in a challenge by an opponent in a friendly between the Gunners’ U21 side and Manchester United on Saturday.
Dowman was among the scorers earlier in the game, with Arsenal prevailing via a 3-0 scoreline.
Positively, the England youth international is not expected to require surgery.
Arsenal confirmed that Dowman had been withdrawn from their Champions League squad for the trip to Club Brugge on Wednesday, with Gabriel Jesus being drafted in as his replacement.
Speaking on his injury, Mikel Arteta said: “Max, unfortunately, he picked up an injury last weekend and he had to come off, so we did some scans and he is going to be out for weeks.
“It is part of the journey. At some point, when you play at this level, when you play in the position that he plays, when you play in the manner that he plays, it was going to happen.
“It happened. It is not ideal that he is out for weeks, it could have been worse, and learn from it.”
Dowman has enjoyed an impressive breakthrough campaign with the Gunners. He became the club’s second-youngest player in history back in August, behind teammate Ethan Nwaneri.
He also became the youngest player in Champions League history last month, aged 15 years and 308 days, as he was introduced as a substitute in his side’s 3-0 win away at Slavia Prague.
Additionally, he has impressed for the north London club’s youth sides this term. Facing off against Bayern in the Youth League last month, Dowman netted an outrageous solo goal.
Dowman Joins Lengthy Arsenal Injury List
The youngster’s injury adds to an already-lengthy absentee list for Arteta’s side.
Arsenal were dealt a triple injury blow on Tuesday, as it was confirmed that Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and William Saliba were unavailable for the trip to Belgium to take on Club Brugge.
Arteta revealed that Rice hasn’t travelled with the squad due to illness, Saliba remains ruled out with a knock, while Trossard is unable to return to his homeland due to a calf problem.
They join long-term absentee Kai Havertz on the sidelines. The German has been out of action with a knee injury since September, however he is hopeful of returning before the year ends.
Amid all of their concerns, paired with the busy festive fixture schedule, Arsenal are expected to make numerous rotations at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Wednesday night.
Even so, they remain heavily favoured to come away with all three points.
The Gunners currently sit at the top of the league phase table with a perfect five wins from five and are rated as the favourites in the Champions League winner betting odds market.
Following their continental outing, they host Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday.
