Arteta tells Arsenal teenager Max Dowman he must earn his opportunities

Mikel Arteta says Max Dowman will feature for Arsenal this season but has made clear the 16-year-old must compete for his chances.

Dowman has not yet played for the senior side this campaign, despite being an unused substitute on four occasions. One of those came in Arsenal’s Champions League victory at Napoli last Wednesday.

He could be involved when Arsenal visit Ipswich in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Tuesday, although Arteta has not guaranteed the teenager a starting place.

Dowman has continued to gain experience with the Under-21s, playing in their 4-1 defeat by Chelsea at the weekend. However, the strength of Arsenal’s squad has limited his opportunities with the first team.

Arsenal’s depth was illustrated in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Sunderland, when Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres were among the substitutes. Premier League rules restrict matchday squads to 20 players.

“Max will have his chance. He will have his minutes and he will have to earn them like anybody else,” said Arteta.

“You know the talent that we have, the players that we have there, we need to help him and find a way to make sure he continues to develop.”

Dowman made 13 appearances last season and became the youngest player to start a Premier League match when he featured against Crystal Palace. He subsequently became the youngest scorer in the competition by finding the net against Everton.

Arsenal’s trip to Ipswich comes at the end of a demanding period that has included away games at Napoli and Sunderland. Bukayo Saka said the travelling had placed considerable demands on the squad.

“It’s been a massive week for us. There has been a lot of travelling. People don’t understand behind the scenes how it’s been, but I’m really happy with how we’ve managed this,” Saka told the club website.

“It’s amazing for us, so credit to the team, the staff, all of us. We need to keep going – it doesn’t stop.”

The Carabao Cup is behind the Premier League and Champions League in Arsenal’s priorities, but Arteta expects his players to approach the match with the same determination as any other fixture.

“It’s the next game ahead and the next competition,” he said.

“We will look at the players’ eyes, they will say they want to play, they want to win the game, they want to improve and they want to review the (Sunderland) game and they will be willing for me, because I know the boys.”

Arsenal, who were beaten by Manchester City in last season’s final, will aim to continue their strong start to the campaign when they face Ipswich.