Max Dowman is getting his first taste of England Under-21 football this week, and he’s already making an impression.

The 16-year-old was handed his first call-up by Lee Carsley for the games against Portugal and France. He’s represented England at every youth level from the Under-16s, but this is a big step up, and he’s training alongside players several years older than him.

Max Alleyne sees ‘so much talent’ in Max Dowman

Max Alleyne, the Man City centre-back currently on loan at Burnley, has lifted the lid on what Max Dowman has been like in training. “He’s sharp. So sharp one-v-one,” Alleyne told The Sun. “Somehow he gets better when there’s more people around him. He just wriggles out of stuff.

“You can see there’s so much talent there. Even just watching the finishing drills and stuff like that, there’s so much talent there. He will be a massive player for us, I’m sure.”

The 21-year-old couldn’t resist a bit of fun at the youngster’s expense, though. Asked who would come out on top if they went head-to-head in training, he joked: “He’s lucky enough to not have a chance to attack against me yet because it would be embarrassing for him.” Arsenal fans, however, will fancy Dowman’s chances in that one.

Max Dowman could break a Jude Bellingham record

Dowman, the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer ever, could make history yet again this week. If he features against Portugal at Ashton Gate tonight, or against France later in the international break, he’ll become England’s youngest-ever Under-21 player.

The current record belongs to Jude Bellingham, who was 17 years, two months and six days old when he made his debut against Kosovo in 2020. Dowman would beat that by almost four months.

Bellingham has since won 61 senior caps, played at four major tournaments and become one of the best players in the world. Following in those footsteps is a lot to ask of anyone, and Carsley is keen to keep the pressure off: “Try not to put too much pressure on him and let him just enjoy his football when he comes with us.”

As talented as Dowman is, that’s the right approach, especially after a difficult few weeks that included a three-game domestic ban. But with Arsenal teammate Ben White already saying he’d put his money on Dowman to win the Ballon d’Or one day, the hype is only going to grow.