'He's like Messi' - Arsenal great lauds 15-year-old Max Dowman with the ultimate compliment

Hopes are high for Dowman following his remarkable breakthrough at Arsenal. The 15-year-old made his Premier League debut against Leeds on Saturday and would become the competition's youngest ever scorer if he were to net at any point this season.

The teenager got his first taste of first-team football over the summer as he impressed during the Gunners' pre-season tour with his dribbling ability and direct approach. He has now been paid the ultimate compliment, with former Arsenal attacker Walcott comparing him to all-time great Messi.

Walcott told BBC Sport: "What's really fascinating is that Mikel Arteta will allow him to do that because that's his strength.

"He carries the ball, he's quicker with the ball. He's like Messi. I remember playing against Messi - when he was off the ball he's not quick. Maybe it's because I was quicker than most.

"When he had the ball he would just glide past people, glide past me with ease. [Dowman's] got that, he's got the stop-start.

"The biggest challenge is the outside noise and how he copes with even his school life, that balance of even walking out on the street and recognising him. 

"That social media world, I didn't have that coming through, we didn't have that when we were younger. It was very different."

Messi's ability to beat defenders with ease and rack up incredible goal tallies season on season has made him a football legend and arguably the greatest player of all time. Such comparisons don't always turn out well, but Dowman is very much in the infancy of his career and the youngster is already attracting rave reviews from modern greats like Wayne Rooney.

Dowman was positive during his cameo against Leeds but it remains to be seen if he'll get more significant minutes when Arsenal visit Liverpool on Sunday. It's bound to be an intense battle between the two title hopefuls who have both taken six points from their first two matches.