Max Dowman became Arsenal's second-youngest player at 15 years and 234 days after coming off the bench in a 5-0 win over Leeds. He won a late penalty but was not the one to take it. Observers noted parallels with an earlier teenage Premier League debutant who scored young and warned about the heightened scrutiny a high-profile debut can bring. Advice emphasized the need to remain grounded as public attention grows, to manage expectations carefully, and to prepare for potential online criticism if early setbacks occur.
"To play at that age in the Premier League is crazy," Rooney said. "I know I played when I was young, but I think he's like 150 days younger than I was or more. "It's just refreshing to see a young lad get his opportunity, and, even though he's playing for Arsenal, every time he cuts inside you go 'shoot'. You want him to put it in the top corner."
"If he gets it and scores, it's great, but I was thinking if he misses that's the difference in being an absolute success story and... all of sudden you get everyone, not everyone, but online people having a go at him," the former Manchester United striker added. "So I was really pleased he didn't, but it was such an impressive debut."
Collection
[
|
...
]