2 Arsenal youth players remain in senior training after Asia tour | OneFootball

Arsenal have begun to thin down their squad after the pre-season tour of Asia, but 15-year-old duo Max Dowman and Marli Salmon remain involved in training.

Photo via Arsenal.com

Arsenal took seven youth players on tour in Asia this summer, with Alexei Rojas, Josh Nichols, Marli Salmon, Louie Copley, Ismeal Kabia, Max Dowman, and Andre Harriman-Annous all joining the first-team group for the trips to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Yet with players returning from injury and new signings joining the group, it was inevitable most of the youth players would have to drop back down to the u21s upon Arsenal’s return to England.

So it proved on Tuesday, with only Dowman and Salmon still pictured in training taking part in the senior session.

Photo via Arsenal.com

Though Nichols also made an appearance and played well, there’s no doubt that Dowman and Salmon were the two standouts on the Asia tour. The pair both got chances on the pitch against AC Milan, and they impressed enough to get further opportunities in the subsequent fixtures.

It’s likely the duo will find minutes harder to come by now, given the positions they play in.

Mikel Arteta will want to get Noni Madueke up to speed, so he’s likely to take any available minutes on the wings, and the same is true in defence with Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber, and Gabriel Magalhaes all available after missing some early pre-season games.

Photo via Arsenal.com

With Leandro Trossard currently out injured, it’s possible Madueke will be used on the left, so there could still be another chance or two for Dowman this week.

If not, his best bet would be in midfield, but there’s plenty of competition there too. Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri are already competing for minutes on the right of Arsenal’s midfield, with Declan Rice and Mikel Merino fighting it out on the left.

Regardless of how many more minutes the two 15-year-olds get in pre-season, they’re clearly held in high regard by Arteta.