Max Dowman is banned from Arsenal dressing room despite historic Everton goal | Football | Sport
Max Dowman might be a regular fixture in Arsenal’s first-team matchday squads nowadays, but he still has to get changed separately from the rest of his team-mates due to Premier League rules. The 16-year-old wrapped up the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday by carrying the ball the entire length of the pitch and slotting into an empty net as the Toffees battled to grab a late equaliser, having sent goalkeeper Jordan Pickford forward at a corner. The strike triggered jubilant celebrations inside the Emirates Stadium.
The moment also saw him etch his name into Premier League history, as he became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the competition. The win over Everton, combined with Man City‘s 1-1 stalemate with West Ham, allowed Arsenal to establish a nine-point lead over their title challengers.
Whilst Dowman contributed significantly to the win, his age means that he has to get changed away from his team-mates before and after the match – even after his strike against Everton.
Premier League regulations stipulate that anyone under the age of 18 must change in separate dressing rooms from the main squad during both training sessions and fixtures.
Although it doesn’t affect Dowman and Arsenal because they are sponsored by Emirates, regulations also mean that players under 18 cannot wear betting sponsors on their kits. In some instances, young players have donned sponsorless shirts for that reason.
Despite his young age, Mikel Arteta turned to Dowman in the vital closing 15 minutes of the fixture against Everton, with the score still at 0-0 when he entered the pitch.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Arsenal boss explained his decision. “Probably in my head I had a gut feeling,” he said. “Yesterday he was training in the last few days and I had a gut feeling that it was a moment for him.
“Probably because he doesn’t seem to be faced by the occasion or the moment or the context or the opponent. He just plays so naturally. He makes decisions to make things happen and what he delivered was incredible.”
He added: “Some of the things that he does, he does it against these defenders that are some of the best in the world.
“So he can do it against anybody else and the doubt is always, yeah, but he’s 16 and the crowd and the pressure and expectations but he doesn’t seem to be fazing him very much about that and he had an incredible moment to all of us.”
