Carsley urges patience over Dowman and England

Max Dowman made his Arsenal debut against Leeds at the start of last season [Getty Images] England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley admits it is inevitable Max Dowman will progress into his squad but is eager not to rush the Arsenal teenager's international elevation. The 16-year-old has been called into the England Under-19s this month as Carsley resists the temptation to select him in his squad. Dowman scored twice in the Gunners' 4-2 Carabao Cup win at Ipswich and came off the bench in Saturday's defeat at Brighton. But despite the spotlight on the exciting forward, Carsley is urging patience over his international future. "He's definitely an outstanding talent. It's inevitable that he's going to be with the Under-21s because of his talent," said Carsley, who guided the Under-21s to glory in Euro 2023 and Euro 2025. "But we have to make sure we do that at the right time, that he comes away with us and plays minutes and competes with the other players that are in his position. "We had a similar issue a few years ago with Ethan Nwaneri. He was early and he made his debut and he's done really well but there's that tendency to push him on quickly. "We have to be patient and make sure that ultimately we want them to play for the senior team for a prolonged period so we have to make sure we get the time right with that." Dowman is the Premier League's youngster goalscorer after netting against Everton in March and has made 13 appearances in all competitions. Carsley played at Everton with Wayne Rooney, who bypassed the Under-21s to make his senior debut aged 17 against Australia in 2003. Kobbie Mainoo and Jude Bellingham are also players who have gone straight to the senior squad, but Carsley warned against comparing Dowman to others. He said: "It's definitely not 'one size fits all'. I think some players are just ready for it - physically, mentally, ready to compete - and they're at the stage where they're just above that age group and we have to make sure that we get the time we want with that. "Obviously me and Thomas [Tuchel] speak regularly about squad selection and you know of what potentially you might need with the 21s, so Max is always in the conversation because of his talent. "We're fortunate we've got some really good players in a lot of the forward positions, but he's definitely one we really rate." Carsley's squad host Kazakhstan at Molineux on Friday and Slovakia in Stoke on 2 October before travelling to Ireland on 6 October as they look to seal qualification for Euro 2027 next summer.