Mikel Arteta drops hint over Max Dowman's future as Arsenal consider shock January loan for wonderkid

Arsenal are open to allowing teenage prodigy Dowman to leave the club on loan this season if a temporary departure aids his ongoing development, as per BBC.

The 16-year-old midfielder made headlines last term when he set two remarkable records, becoming the youngest player to score for the Gunners and in Premier League history.

While he is yet to feature in the English top flight this season, Dowman returned to the spotlight with a brace in Arsenal's 4-2 Carabao Cup victory at Ipswich.

Arteta remains keen to keep the youngster involved in his senior squad, but the Arsenal manager confirmed the club will regularly evaluate what is best for Dowman.

"We will evaluate every six months where we are and what is the best thing for him to do and then make the right decision," Arteta explained. "It depends on a lot of factors. What he needs, and what the team needs as well, the availability we have in the squad, the minutes that he is playing and the qualities of those minutes."

Despite outside interest in the record-breaking teenager, Arsenal purposely shielded Dowman from early transfer speculation. This ensured he remained fully integrated with the first team throughout the summer.

"We haven't really listened to any of the possibilities because we were crystal clear that we wanted to have Max in the squad," Arteta added. "We wanted him to be part of the pre-season and then start to see where we are from there. We have to be open, but now the focus is to be here and to impact the team."

Dowman, who completed his GCSEs in the summer, will officially become eligible to make a senior loan move when he turns 17 on December 31. The winter transfer window opens the very next day, paving the way for a potential switch to the English Football League.

Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who manages League One side Luton, is believed to have already expressed an interest in taking the youngster on a temporary deal for the remainder of the campaign.