Arsenal’s Max Dowman suffered an ankle ligament injury following a challenge by a Manchester United u21 player in last week’s friendly, according to reports.
David Ornstein reports for The Athletic that Max Dowman is set to miss two months of action with an ankle ligament injury, with Ornstein confirming the youngster suffered the setback in a challenge by an opponent during Saturday’s u21 friendly against Manchester United.
The good news is that Dowman is not expected to require surgery, but the injury is obviously a major blow for a 15-year-old making his first-team breakthrough.
Dowman had scored earlier in the game, with Arsenal winning the friendly match 3-0.
It’s unknown whether Dowman’s injury was related to United picking up a red card for two bookings during the match, but it certainly fits in terms of the opposition’s apparently aggressive approach to the fitness-building friendly.
As well as scoring in that match, Dowman had scored braces in both of his UEFA Youth League appearances this season, as well as scoring in both of his Premier League 2 games.
The teenager hadn’t failed to find the net in a single youth match with Arsenal this season, which was part of the reason why he was spending so much time with the first team instead.
Yet in a match that should have built his sharpness for a possible appearance against Club Brugge or Wolves this week, Dowman has instead been ruled out until February.
Arsenal have moved quickly to include Gabriel Jesus in their Champions League squad as a replacement for Dowman, with the Brazilian forward travelling to Belgium with the team on Tuesday.