Arsenal teenager Max Dowman sees red in England Under-19s clash against the United States
A dramatic outing for Dowman
Dowman experienced a dramatic afternoon on Friday as England Under-19s secured a 2-1 victory over the United States in Marbella. Dowman set up Reigan Heskey to open the scoring in the very first minute of the behind-closed-doors fixture. However, his day ended prematurely when he received a straight red card in the 74th minute. The exact reason for the dismissal remains officially unconfirmed, although reports from The Sun suggest that he was penalised for violent conduct as Ben Futcher's side held on to win despite the numerical disadvantage.
Rapid rise at Arsenal
Dowman has been enjoying a remarkable season with Arsenal, having already made two appearances and scored twice for the club this term while featuring on the bench on several other occasions. Despite only completing his GCSEs in the summer, he possesses a Premier League winners' medal from the previous campaign. While some supporters have called for Dowman to be fast-tracked into higher international age groups, England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley has recently emphasised the importance of patience, urging caution to ensure he develops properly without unnecessary pressure following his rapid rise through the ranks.
Carsley urges patience with development
Speaking last week about the development of young talents like Dowman, Carsley explained the cautious approach the national setup takes. Carsley stated: "It's important that players develop at their own pace. Max is an outstanding talent, the timing and the balance of when he comes to the U21s is inevitable. He's going to the U21s because of his talent, but we have to make sure we do that at the right time. We have to be patient and make sure that ultimately we want them to play for the senior team for a prolonged period. So we have to make sure that we get the time right with that. We had a similar issue a few years ago with Ethan Nwaneri. He was early and he made his debut and he's done really well and there's that tendency to push him on quickly."
What comes next for England?
England conclude their international break schedule on Monday when they face Belgium. It remains unclear whether Dowman will be involved in the fixture following his dismissal against the United States, as he awaits the consequences of his straight red card.
