Wayne Rooney has claimed Max Dowman may miss part of Arsenal‘s title run-in because of his GCSEs.
Dowman, 16, stole the headlines on Saturday after he led the Gunners to a crucial 2-0 win over Everton to send Mikel Arteta‘s side nine points clear of Man City at the top of the table.
The attacking midfielder, who has been training with Arsenal’s first team since he was 14, helped set up Viktor Gyokeres’ 89th-minute strike after coming off the bench, before he scored on the breakaway in the seventh minute of added time.
His goal made him the youngest scorer in Premier League history and several pundits have heaped praise on the 16-year-old, with John Terry even comparing him to Messi.
And Rooney, who was 16 years and 360 days old when he scored his first Premier League goal – making him the league’s youngest scorer at that time – similarly lauded Dowman but highlighted the balancing act he now faces over the next few months.
‘What an opportunity for him to be around the squad,’ Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show. ‘He could be a Premier League winner when he’s still finishing school off.
Wayne Rooney believe Max Dowman (pictured with his mum and dad) may miss some of Arsenal’s title-run in due to his GCSEs
Rooney was once the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer when he scored for Everton against Arsenal at the age of 16 years and 360 days back in October 2002 (pictured above)
‘He’s got an aura and a belief about him and it was the same against Everton. (But) if it’s education first, I don’t think we’ll see much of him over the next few weeks.’
Rooney added: ‘He has got his GCSEs, and his education, I’m sure for him and his family, is important as well.
‘He won’t be in as much as he’d probably like, but then you’ve got many years ahead of you.’
Dowman is in Year 11 at school and GCSEs typically take place across May and June.
Arsenal have seven more Premier League games, including four in May, while they remain in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Champions League.
Rooney also opened up further on what life may be like for Dowman as a young player who has shot into the spotlight.
‘I was back out playing with my mates on the streets when I scored after the game,’ added Rooney, who was yet to sign a professional contract and on £75 a week when he netted that iconic goal against the Gunners.
‘Now we’re in (a) social media (era). People will be messaging, Instagram or Twitter, whatever he’s got. And you’ll be seeing it everywhere.
‘It’s different now, a different age when I was coming through. There was no social media at that time.
‘So it was all about the newspapers and whether you liked it or not – front page and back page. I think the scrutiny’s not on you as much maybe these days.’
Rooney also felt Dowman’s Arsenal team-mates would keep him grounded amid the hype
Dowman made his Arsenal debut back in August and has since gone on to play eight times in all competitions for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta has appeared to trust him more in recent weeks after he missed a chunk of action due to an ankle injury – and Dowman impressed after starting against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup earlier this month.
And Rooney felt that the wonderkid had the attitude to match his talent.
He explained: ‘He seems, from the games I’ve watched, to not let that pressure affect him because he gets the ball, he holds on to it, he commits defenders, he goes to take them on, and so he definitely looks like he’s got a confidence about him.
‘Mikel Arteta, some of the senior players in the Arsenal squad, will not let him get ahead of himself. But I think you have to enjoy it as well.
‘Sometimes people think that enjoying success is arrogant and I just think they do it in the [USA]. They enjoy it and they celebrate it.
‘So when we’ve got a young lad like that coming through as a 16-year-old, he’s clearly got a lot of ability and you just hope he can go and fulfil that potential.
‘Let him enjoy it and go and express himself.’
