1 hour ago
1
Arsenal teenage sensation Max Dowman has withdrawn from the England Under-19 squad after suffering a contact injury.
The 16-year-old pulled out of Ben Futcher’s squad on Sunday morning, less than 24 hours before England’s 1-0 defeat to Belgium in the international youth tournament.
Dowman’s injury is not considered serious, with no major concerns that the youngster will be sidelined for an extended period.
The Arsenal academy product had featured in England’s previous three matches, scoring once and providing an assist as the Young Lions recorded victories over Ireland, Norway and the United States.
However, Dowman was sent off in the 73rd minute of England’s 2-1 win over the US last Friday following a reckless challenge.
The teenager had endured several heavy challenges during the game, and the decision to dismiss him was considered harsh by some observers at the match.
Despite the red card, Dowman remained eligible to face Belgium because the fixtures formed part of a friendly tournament. His injury, however, ruled him out of the encounter and prompted his withdrawal from the squad.
The setback adds to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s growing injury concerns during the international break.
Defender Ezri Konsa has also withdrawn from the England senior squad and returned to Arsenal for further assessment, while Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis have left the Germany and Greece squads respectively after suffering hamstring injuries.
Havertz picked up his injury following a challenge from Quinten Timber during Germany’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, while Tzolis was forced off after just 18 minutes of Greece’s 2-2 draw with the same opposition.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice had earlier opted not to join the England squad as part of what was described as “load management”.
Arteta will now be hoping his players return fit ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Daniel Farke’s high-flying Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
There is, however, optimism within the Arsenal camp that Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie could recover from their respective knocks in time to feature against Leeds.
English (US) ·