Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has made clear that 16-year-old Max Dowman will be judged by the same standards as every other member of his senior squad, insisting there is no room for special treatment at Premier League level.
Dowman was dismissed in the 85th minute of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup defeat to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday, a match the Gunners subsequently lost on penalties. The young forward reacted after a forceful tackle from Harrison Neal and now faces a three-game suspension.
Arteta was visibly frustrated as he spoke to Dowman while the teenager made his way from the field. Addressing the episode for the first time on Friday, the Arsenal manager explained that he had warned the player before kick-off that opponents could attempt to provoke him.
“I haven’t seen how people reacted to my reaction, whether that was positive or negative,” Arteta said. “But you have to understand the circumstances, the bond I have with him and what we spoke about immediately before going out.
“But I don’t know, people can react differently. If you saw how my father or mother reacted to me on certain days, you might say, ‘I don’t like that reaction.’ For me, that was the right reaction to make me who I am.”
Arteta confirmed that he spoke with Dowman on Thursday and said there were “no issues at all” between them. Even so, he stressed that his message to the teenager must be direct and that Dowman needs to understand precisely what is required of him.
The Fleetwood dismissal was Dowman’s second red card of the month. He was also sent off while representing England Under-19s against the United States, when he had again been subjected to several hard challenges.
Discussing that earlier incident, Arteta said: “They are his age. They are 16, exactly the same. What was the response? That is the standard and that is the response.
“Whether it is correct or incorrect, that is how he reacted.”
Arteta also underlined the effect of the latest sending-off on Arsenal’s result, admitting that defeat brings out a fierce response from him.
“And when I don’t win, do you want to know how I react? I am angry, big time,” he said.
“So we have to be prepared for that. This is the setting and this is real life; otherwise, we are in Disneyland. We are not in Disneyland. We are in the Premier League and at this level.
“We take such great care of him that you cannot imagine.
“But equally, we will demand from him exactly what we demand from everyone else, because he has to deserve the opportunity to play. What would the other boys say to me otherwise? You have to be fair.”
