Max Dowman becomes Arsenal's youngest starter

By being named in the team for tonight's Carabao Cup fourth round tie with Brighton, Max Dowman has broken an Arsenal record by becoming our youngest ever starter.

When he came on against Leeds United last month to make his professional bow, Max became the second-youngest player in Premier League history, as well as in our club's 138-year history, but by being named on the teamsheet against the Seagulls, he has become the youngest player to do so for our men's first-team.

Aged just 15 years and 302 days old, Max has broken the record set last season when Jack Porter was named between the posts against Bolton Wanderers at the same stage of the Carabao Cup. Jack was 16 years and 72 days old that night, meaning his England under-19 teammate Max has beaten him by 135 days.

Our youngest ever player remains Ethan Nwaneri, who against Brentford in 2022 became the first 15-year-old to play in the Premier League, aged 15 years and 181 days old. He is the youngest player ever to appear in a top-flight match in English football, beating the previous record held by Sunderland’s Derek Foster in August 1964.

Max will now be hoping to break another long-standing club record if he continues to receive first-team opportunities in 2025/26.

Back in December 2003 - six years before Max was born - a fresh-faced Cesc Fabregas made a name for himself when he netted in a League Cup tie against Wolves, becoming our youngest-ever goalscorer aged 16 years and 212 days.

With that in mind, should Max score his first Gunners goal at any point this season, then he would leapfrog the Spaniard in the rankings and potentially take that particular slice of club history, unless another academy product gets there first!

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