Wayne Rooney says Max Dowman has got the whole football world talking as he offers the Arsenal teenager advice following his Premier League debut.
Wayne Rooney says Max Dowman has got the whole football world talking as he offered the Arsenal teenager advice following his Premier League debut.
By coming off the bench during Arsenal's 5-0 win over Leeds United on Saturday, Dowman became the second-youngest player to play for the club at 15 years and 234 days old.
Rooney is among the few who can relate to the Arsenal winger's experience.
He made his Everton debut aged 16 in August 2002 and was still five days short of his 17th birthday when he scored a stunning late winner against Arsenal two months later - becoming the Premier League's youngest scorer at the time.
Speaking on his new BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney reflected on personal experience of making his first-team debut so young and some of the challenges Dowman is likely to face in the coming months and years.
"To play at that age in the Premier League is crazy," Rooney said. "I know I played when I was young, but I think he's like 150 days younger than I was or more.
"It's just refreshing to see a young lad get his opportunity, and, even though he's playing for Arsenal, every time he cuts inside you go 'shoot'. You want him to put it in the top corner."
While there was no debut goal for Dowman, he did win a penalty late on. Rooney was relieved that the 15-year-old was not given the responsibility of taking it.
"If he gets it and scores, it's great, but I was thinking if he misses that's the difference in being an absolute success story and... all of sudden you get everyone, not everyone, but online people having a go at him," the former Manchester United striker added.
"So I was really pleased he didn't, but it was such an impressive debut."
'Everyone you speak to in football, the same name keeps coming back'
The challenge for Dowman is to remain grounded as his profile grows and the excitement over his potential builds.
"For Max and his family and friends, I'm sure they're all living in a dream and a fairy tale and it probably hasn't hit home yet," Rooney said. "But you can see his future is so bright, he is going to have a massive future.
"Everyone you speak to in football, the same name keeps coming back: Max Dowman.
"It's difficult for anyone. I think the first thing you've got to do is just stay around your family and close friends.
"Listen to them because there are going to be people out there who are trying to be your friend or trying to get in touch with you - some for good reasons, some for not so good reasons.
"You just have to make sure the people who are closer to you, you stay around them and listen to their advice rather than outsiders."
As well as stepping up on the pitch, Rooney says there are also adjustments off it for a young player breaking into the first team.
"It's surreal. It's so strange that one minute you're in the youth team and the next you're in the first-team dressing room with some of your heroes," Rooney said.
"For me, it was some of my heroes growing up, then we're training, we're playing, we're becoming friends.
"I was around at Duncan Ferguson's house. He lived on the same road as me, and I'm just chilling with him and Alan Stubbs. And you're like, 'what is going on here?'.
"It's something you really need to get used to quickly because it can be overwhelming.
"Max Dowman looks like a very level-headed lad from everything I've seen and you hope he manages to deal with it and understands what's coming his way very soon."
Rooney's main words of advice for Dowman come from the heart.
"Enjoy it. I'm sure we're going to see so much of him, so much of his talent and goals and assists, whatever," he said.
"Alan Stubbs always said to me years ago, 'make sure you enjoy it because it goes very quickly'.
"When you're young, you don't think that or you sometimes forget that, but enjoy it and make the most of it."
Watch the Wayne Rooney Show on BBC Sport YouTube, and iPlayer. Listen on BBC Sounds.
Category: General Sports
