14yo joins Arsenal first-team training again | OneFootball

Arsenal youngster Max Dowman was in first-team training ahead of the Gunners’ game against West Ham United on Saturday, among other academy players.

Photo via Arsenal.com

Arsenal welcomed a number of academy players into their first-team training session ahead of their clash with West Ham United this weekend, with 14-year-old Max Dowman once again among them.

Jeorge Bird reports that goalkeepers Tommy Setford, Alexei Rojas, and Lucas Nygaard were all involved in the session, along with defenders Josh Robinson, Ayden Heaven, and Zane Monlouis.

Dowman was one of a trio of midfielders present, with the other two being Jack Henry-Francis and Jimi Gower.

Photo via League of Ireland on Twitter

Henry-Francis only recently returned to training with Arsenal following his loan spell with Sligo Rovers, with the League of Ireland Premier Division operating on a calendar-year basis and concluding at the start of this month.

Having already had a summer break from mid-May until his July loan, Henry-Francis didn’t really need to take the entire winter off. But he can’t go out on another loan until the January transfer window ends.

As a result, the best course of action was to return to training with Arsenal for the time being, despite Rovers boss John Russell recently confirming he’s holding talks with Arsenal about another move for the player.

Photo via Dowman on Instagram

For Dowman, playing in first-team training this weekend makes sense. The 14-year-old is too young to play in the Arsenal u18s’ FA Youth Cup tie next Tuesday, due to the age restrictions in the competition.

The midfielder could have played for the u18s in their u18 Premier League fixture against Fulham on Saturday, but the game was postponed after the cup ties were locked in.

With no match to worry about, a chance to test himself against the senior stars would have been too good to turn down.