The hamstring injury suffered by Kai Havertz on a mid-season training trip to Dubai has left the Gunners with three senior attackers. Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are set to miss the rest of the campaign, while Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli face several more weeks of recovery before they are fit enough to play.
Arsenal have five Premier League matches and a two-legged Champions League knockout tie to come over the next month, and absolutely no prospect of rotating a front-three of Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling unless Arteta takes action.
That's why calls are growing for Arsenal to put faith in wonderkid academy prospect Max Dowman. The youngster can play in attacking midfield or on the wing, which would give Arteta another option during a vital period in the Gunners' season.
But there is one major problem: Premier League rules prevent Dowman from making his debut in the competition because 'a player placed in an age group below Under-16 shall not be named in a club's team sheet or participate in a league match'.
Dowman, who only turned 15 in December, was named in Arsenal's Under-15 squad at the start of the campaign, making him ineligible for the senior side.
Arsenal Training Session
Max Dowman (far left) is one of the most hyped-up youngsters in the country
But The Daily Mail claim that Arsenal may request special permission from the Premier League to make an exception to their rule, given their dire injury situation. It is unclear whether or not they would be willing to work with the Gunners, or whether Arteta would even consider including Dowman at such a young age.
The 15-year-old is considered one of the brightest youth prospects in the country and he is already playing well above his age group at club and international level. Arsenal have taken him to Dubai and regularly included him in first-team training this term.
Dowman made his England Under-17 debut last year, played for Arsenal's Under-18s at just 13 years old, and netted in the UEFA Youth League at 14 years old, making him the youngest scorer in the history of the competition.
While it would be bold for Arteta to put faith in the youngster, he has shown a willingness to trust unproven prospects in the past. He made Nwaneri the youngest Premier League player of all time in 2022, putting him on against Brentford aged 15 years and 181 days.
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