Max Dowman injury update after Arsenal star withdraws from England U19 squad | Football
Max Dowman has been forced to pull out of the England Under-19 squad through injury – but the problem is not thought to be serious and he is expected to make a speedy recovery.
The 16-year-old was called up by the Young Lions after starring in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup clash with Ipswich before the international break at Portman Road, where he struck twice in a 4-2 away win.
He went on to feature in England’s matches against the Republic of Ireland, Norway and the United States, registering a goal and an assist in those games.
However, just 24 hours out from the side’s encounter with Belgium, it emerged that Dowman – arguably the most exciting young talent in English football – had withdrawn from Ben Futcher’s party.
According to The Sun, Dowman’s issue is a contact injury and it was decided within the England camp that no unnecessary risks would be taken with the teenager’s fitness.
There are said to be ‘no major concerns’ surrounding Dowman’s knock and the attacking midfielder is not expected to be sidelined for a ‘significant period’, which will no doubt come as a relief to Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta.
Dowman made headlines for the wrong reasons in England’s 2-1 defeat of the US last Friday as he was shown a straight red card for a reckless tackle midway through the second half.
Had he been passed fit, the Arsenal starlet would have been available to face Belgium given the fixtures in question form part of a friendly tournament.
Dowman is not the only Arsenal player to have gone down injured during the international break, with Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis and Ezri Konsa all suffering setbacks.
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Havertz and Tzolis were forced to withdraw from international duty with Germany and Greece respectively due to hamstring injuries.
Declan Rice, meanwhile, pulled out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad last month due to concerns over load management.
There was some good for Arsenal on Monday, though, as England head coach Tuchel appeared to confirm that Konsa’s injury was ‘nothing major’.
‘Ezri felt discomfort when he came into camp, played with it against Spain and it got a bit worse so he stayed in camp and tried everything for the match against Czechia but it came too soon,’ the England boss told reporters.
‘He tried everything for the game in Croatia, got the green light and came through all the training sessions so was ready to play.
‘Unfortunately, he got another hit on the quad and that caused a light trauma and we decided not to let him play through this pain, so he left camp to get treatment for both his issues now.
‘I think it is nothing major but not worth the risk taking.’
Arsenal resume their Premier League campaign at home to Leeds United this weekend, looking to return to winning ways after a shock defeat at Brighton last time out.
The reigning English champions trail top-of-the-table Manchester City by three points ahead of Saturday’s contest at the Emirates.
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