Max Dowman Arsenal transfer claim made as Bukayo Saka truth clear for Mikel Arteta

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Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards reckons Max Dowman might need to leave Arsenal on loan if he wants regular first-team football. The 15-year-old was handed his maiden senior start for the Gunners in their Carabao Cup clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday evening and impressed during his 71 minutes on the pitch.

Dowman, who won't turn 16 for another two months, grabbed the spotlight and was also given a standing ovation when he was substituted. He had previously featured for the senior squad in the 2-0 third-round win at Port Vale on September 24, after making Premier League appearances last month in a 5-0 thrashing of Leeds United and the 1-0 defeat at Liverpool .

Richards has now suggested the youngster might need to explore a temporary switch away from the Emirates Stadium to guarantee more him minutes, given Bukayo Saka remains the preferred choice in Dowman's position. "He's special, isn't he? He's special," the pundit said on The Rest is Football .

"I think the difference that I see with him is that normally, you get thrown in at 15-16 because you are physically developed. And he's not, he's technically developed, which would say that he's going to be something special.

"He's just got a window from 16 to 18 to keep developing at the same rate. And Mikel Arteta comes with these quotes, but he has to be playing also - because you can't just get 30 minutes here and then 90 minutes [there] - because other people are developing at a quicker rate than you would be.

"Maybe he needs to go out on loan. I know that's maybe too early, I don't think he can go out on loan yet at 15 - he's not going to get the game time."

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Gary Lineker, however, countered this, arguing Dowman would get plenty of playing time, but Richards remained sceptical. The two-time Premier League champion retorted: "But he plays in a position that Saka plays, so he's not.

"He can play No.10 and he can play the other side. But the manager, the way he is, I would say, he errs on the side of being a little bit more defensive with Saka - and then allowing the players to come on.

"He's not going to play ahead of Saka. But to keep developing, he needs to play. That would be my only worry."

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