A damp evening in Singapore, and the Arsenal players go through their latest warming for a collision for the season with Newcastle.
One of the first to pick up the field is a lean, targeted teenager, hardly old enough to start his GCSEs who attracts curious looks of veterans and coaches. Max Dowman, only 15, is a name where Arsenal fans had only heard whisper, clips shared, but one where they will soon find out.
Dowman had his first taste of training with the senior squadron last season just 14. Mikel Arteta saw enough to record it in Arsenal's Winter Dubai trip and again this summer for this Asia tour that ended this week. The goal was not to hurry, but to gradually expose the gifted midfielder to elite men's football, new environment, packed stadiums, seasoned professionals.
And Dowman didn't do it alone – he flourished. Against Milan, his first accents were a direct run on goal. Later he repented a penalty in the shooting. In the next match against Newcastle, he was confronted with a real test in Premier League style against Brazil International Joelinton and the physicality of the midfield of Eddie Howe. Dowman not only kept his, he won the decisive penalty after signing an error by Joelinton.
Usually a no. 10 on the youth side, where he runs the show ', according to an academic coach, Dowman was widely used during the Tour. It was a test of his tactical adaptability, which he passed with flag and pennant.
During the training he was attracted to his age mats, including colleague 15-year-old Marli Salmon. But for a moment it was told how the older players were attracted to himself. Declan Rice was seen with an arm around Dowman, talking positioning. Martin Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal and herself, a teenage child for Real Madrid at the age of 16, has taken a clear importance.
Odegaard, now 26, said: 'I think the whole team is really good in this way and the young players help. I just try to share my experience and to help them stay grounded. The quality is there. They just need the right mindset, the right support and time to grow. '
Arteta has been practical with Dowman, offers guidance during warm-ups and even sat down for a longer conversation in the dugout between training sessions, while fans sang his name.
The Spanish manager, a father of two, is very aware of the need for balance: development without burnout, exposure without exploitation. Dowman will be in the middle of his GCSE studies, just as the Premier League season starts, no small performance to manage both.
Dowman is already well equipped. On 6ft long he did not look out of place when training next to new signing Viktor Gyokeres. Looking from the sidelines, it was difficult to say who the established star was and who the raw child was. Maybe Dowman is already both.
His third and final tour appearance came against Tottenham, where he was again impressed, the defenders turned and played without fear. But Arteta remains careful. At the age of 15, the body is still developing. The focus of Arsenal is on the long-term health and the steady progression of Dowman-no headline-grabbing debut.
That approach reflects the wider philosophy of Arsenal. Dowman was introduced to the 'Strong Young Gunner' framework when he came to the Academy: 'Champion Mentality, Lifelong Learner, Efficient Mover and Team Player'.
These are not just slogans. They form the core of his education. And Arsenal's energetic, striking, attacking football suits Dowman's instincts perfect.
He has been ahead of the curve for years. At the age of 13 he already played for the U18s. Last September he wrote history. With the most staff gone during a Champions League match in Italy, Dowman became the youngest goal scorer ever in the UEFA Youth League, who was naked against Atalanta for the younger than 19 years, only 14 years, eight months and 19 days.
His parents were there, after they had flown on the same commercial flight as a few reporters. His father, Robert, a successful businessman and one-off coach and co-owner of Billericay Town Football Club, is described as supportive but not indebted. The family trusts the staff of Arsenal to manage their son's development, both technically and emotionally, and the club has answered with care and professionalism.
Dowman cannot sign a professional contract until he is 17 years old on New Year's Eve in 2026, although pre-aggressions are common. Arsenal has previously supplied on this path with talents such as Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, the youngest Premier League player in history. But even in that impressive company, Dowman's process feels unusually steep.
This season he is expected to appear regularly for the young person under 21, even though he is still at school. Exposure to the first team will probably be measured: incidental training, limited minutes, maximum protection.
After the Newcastle match, Arteta said: 'It's special. What he did today, at this level of opposition, in the time he had. It is something you don't see from a 15-year-old. We are very happy to have him. His family and the staff of the Academy have all played a role to help him reach this point. '
Arsenal does not treat Dowman differently, but they treat him in a responsible manner. There are no interviews, no commercial partnerships, no orchestrated PR campaigns. Simply football, school and support.
Arsenal Academy Coach Gustavo Oliveira compared Dowman last year with a Brazilian midfield legend: 'He plays in the style of Kaka. One day he plays for the national team of England and in the Premier League. '
Dowman was present to a football camp in Portugal between the ages of nine – a family vacation program combined with football coaching by former Premier League stars such as Mark Noble and Michael Dawson.
He then gave a rare interview with the company in August 2024, where he spoke about his short Stints training with the first team of Arsenal.
“The first time we just defended and I felt like a moving mannequin,” he said. “I wasn't really involved because I just defended. But the second time was the Attack V defense. I became more involved and I did better than the first time. It was really fun. It was really surreal for me to be honest. '
On which players he felt Starstruck around, he took Rice and William Saliba.
He is not a starstruck now and attention is inevitable, but Arsenal has not only put their faith in Downman's talent, but in his temperament and theirs. Whether he will remain in Arsenal for the long term – although the thought he is leaving seems unthinkable – Dowman gets every tool and every security to thrive.
The genius can be out of the bottle. But the boy and the ball seem to be possible in the safest hands.