David Raya praises 15yo Arsenal duo Dowman & Salmon | OneFootball

David Raya has praised 15-year-old duo Marli Salmon and Max Dowman, after the pair made their pre-season debuts for the Arsenal first team this week.

Photo via Dowman on Instagram

Arsenal youth duo Marli Salmon and Max Dowman made their unofficial debuts for Mikel Arteta’s first team in Wednesday’s friendly match against AC Milan, coming off the bench to help the team see out a 1-0 win.

Speaking in the days after that game, David Raya admitted he’s been impressed with the youngsters on tour so far.

“I think the young lads (stood out to me),” Raya said. “Obviously Marli [Salmon] and Max [Dowman], they’re just 15 years old and they look like they’ve been with us for so many years.

“Such a young age to play with Arsenal, and to come on tour with the first team of Arsenal is incredible. So those two have been magnificent.”

Photo via Arsenal.com

Despite being easily the youngest players on the pitch, Salmon and Dowman rarely looked it. The two were composed in possession, and Salmon showed his abilities off the ball up against some tough opponents.

Arteta likely won’t hesitate to give the pair further chances as pre-season progresses, particularly with Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber still not available for selection. Salmon will be needed to make up the numbers, if nothing else.

Then with Noni Madueke not joining pre-season until Arsenal return from Asia, Dowman will be a useful option as an alternative to Bukayo Saka on the right.

Photo via Premier League on Instagram

The one other young player who was involved against AC Milan was Josh Nichols, coming on at right-back to replace Ben White.

Nichols’ situation isn’t quite the same as the other two, as he’s 19 years old (as of Saturday) and he already made his competitive debut for Arsenal last season. But the defender was still very impressive in his limited minutes against Milan, and he deserves credit for that after a while out injured.

Nichols pointed out on Instagram that he’d had a four-month wait since his previous Arsenal appearance, but those watching all agreed he didn’t look rusty.