Thomas Tuchel and Max Dowman (Photo by Andrew Redington, Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that he is keeping Arsenal youngster Max Dowman as an option in mind for this summer’s World Cup in North America.
Speaking at a press conference today as he announced his latest England squad, Tuchel clearly left the door open for Dowman to join the Three Lions later this summer.
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The German coach has been full of praise for Arsenal for the way they have handled the 16-year-old’s development so far, explaining that he is clearly in a good place where he can stay and continue to learn from the best.
Thomas Tuchel to Max Dowman
Speaking of the many players who did not play in his latest England squad, Tuchel made it clear that he saw no reason to rush to select Dowman.
However, the England manager has not ruled it out as something he can do when it comes to naming his final World Cup squad ahead of the tournament later this year.
? “Amazing talent!”
Thomas Tuchel has NOT ruled out that he will take Max Dowman to the World Cup…? pic.twitter.com/gZgWs10WA7
– CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) March 20, 2026
“Well, you exposed yourself, didn’t you? With this amazing goal we face Everton, and an important goal.”
“I think, right now, he’s perfect, and he’s obviously got incredible talent and outstanding talent at this age. There’s no doubt about it.
“Everyone who tells me about Max praises him and is full of compliments about him.” The reality at the moment is that he is competing for minutes – he is not a regular starter for Arsenal.
“I think he’s in a very good place, I think he’s in the best possible place; in a competitive club, in a stable club, in a club where teamwork is the first goal, that’s the way he plays, this is the way he works.
“So you learn from the best, in the best place. And with these young guys, yeah, we know all these players and we see them like you do.
“At the moment I think he is in a good place to fight for his position, fight for his minutes at Arsenal.
“We always have a chance to call him, maybe, for the World Cup.
“The thing about young players is to keep their momentum, maybe, keep having fun, and they have a level of fearlessness in them. So there’s no need to call him now and increase the pressure and increase all the noise that goes with it. But yes, we have all the options.”
Max Dowman is making a name for himself
Dowman scored Arsenal’s most recent memorable goal in their 2-0 win over Everton, with the youngster coming off the bench in that game and almost single-handedly changing the game.
It’s not often you see a player so young playing at such a level and level, but Dowman looked very much at home at Premier League level.
The England manager first fired in a dangerous through ball that led to Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres opener, before running almost the length of the pitch to grab the second.
Despite facing an open goal, Dowman showed great ability to get himself into that situation to punish Everton in attack.
In total, Dowman has made seven first-team appearances for Mikel Arteta’s side this season, and it’s easy to imagine he’ll get more minutes between now and May.
That would put him firmly in contention for the World Cup title, and what a story that would be!
