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Max Dowman among Arsenal England youth call-ups for September break

A number of Arsenal players have been called up by the various England youth teams for the September-October break, including midweek League Cup star Max Dowman.

Max Dowman of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Ipswich Town and Arsenal at Portman Road on September 15, 2026 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images

The England u21s named their squad on Friday morning, with Arsenal loan duo Tommy Setford and Ethan Nwaneri both included.

Setford is spending the season with League One Stevenage, whilst Nwaneri is playing for Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund, but they’ll reunite as teammates for a trio of u21 European Championship qualifiers under head coach Lee Carsley.

The England u21s will face Kazakhstan at home on Friday, September 25th, and Slovakia at home on Friday, October 2nd. The team will then travel away to the Republic of Ireland in Cork on Tuesday, October 6th, with all three games available to watch on the England app.

These are the decisive final qualifiers, with England leading their group by three points ahead of Slovakia as it stands. Top spot qualifies for the final tournament, whilst the runner-up will either qualify or go into the play-offs.

Tommy Setford after signing for Stevenage FC (Photo via Stevenage FC on Instagram)
Photo via Stevenage FC on Instagram

There was no u21 call-up for 16-year-old Max Dowman, but he was included in the England u19 squad announcement later in the day along with Arsenal teammate Ife Ibrahim.

England are often more hesitant about promoting players too soon, preferring to allow them to see out their tournament cycle as a group. The secondary benefit of that is that it helps to avoid having to drop players back down later.

Dowman has been impressive for the u19s so far, scoring two goals and assisting five in his 10 games, with five of those goal contributions coming in the five Euro qualifiers he’s played.

As for Ibrahim, this is his first appearance in the England u19s, a step up from his previous u18 call-ups.

The England u19s will face the Republic of Ireland, Norway, the USA, and Belgium over the break.

Max Dowman of Arsenal scores his team’s first goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Ipswich Town and Arsenal at Portman Road on September 15, 2026 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

In the England u18 squad, Marli Salmon was called up for the first time, with the team to play in the UEFA Friendship Cup against Colombia, Egypt, and South Korea.

Finally, in the England u17s, Arsenal summer signing Mylo Bernard and Vincent Joseph have been named in the squad alongside new club teammate Charlie Phillips.

The u17s will play a friendly against the Republic of Ireland, followed by a three-match tournament against Israel, Venezuela, and Germany.

Marli Salmon of Arsenal during the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal FC and Como Calcio at Emirates Stadium on August 12, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
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