Arsenal already have their next Ethan Nwaneri - and Mikel Arteta loves him

Arsenal academy starlet Max Dowman scored a hat-trick for the under-18s in a 5-3 win over Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

Alex Marciniak opened the scoring for the Gunners but it was three goals from 15-year-old Downman that decided the game. Despite a late onslaught from the Foxes, Arsenal held on to make it four wins on the bounce.

Dowman is one of Arsenal's most promising young prospects with the club boasting a fantastic record of promoting academy talent. Bukayo Saka is one of the biggest success stories in recent times, while Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have both made the step up to first team football this season.

In 2023, at just 13 years of age, Dowman made his under-18s debut for the academy. He has also represented the club in the UEFA Youth League and became the youngest ever Premier League 2 player when he was just 14.

Back in December, the attacking midfielder was promoted to the first team and began training with Arteta's side. Dowman certainly made an impression as he earned huge praise from the manager, who is confident he can be a star in the future.

"He's very impressive," Arteta told a press conference in January. "At his age, some of the things he does in training is unbelievable.

"He is a player with huge talent and we have a huge belief we can develop him to become one of our own. He's doing very well so far."

Legislation has prevented Dowman from making an appearance on the bench with the first team this season. Rules state that players in senior matchday squads cannot be drawn from an age group lower than the under-16s, which makes Downman ineligible as he was registered with the under-15s at the beginning of the current season.

That said, the hype surrounding Dowman is not subsiding anytime soon and his heroic performances at academy level will only bolster his chances of being promoted to the first team sooner rather than later. Arteta has shown this season that, in the face of injuries and adversity, he is not opposed to placing his faith in young talent.

Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri have been somewhat of a revelation for the Gunners this season, with the former earning a debut senior England call-up and cap from Thomas Tuchel during the last international break. Dowman will hope to follow in their footsteps across the next couple of years as he looks to establish himself as a first team player.