'He's a lot like Lionel Messi' - Arsenal legend heaps praise on 'scary talent' Max Dowman as Mikel Arteta urged to treat 15-year-old sensation like Jude Bellingham

Dowman has been the breakout star of Arsenal’s pre-season, shining in matches against AC Milan and Newcastle. The 15-year-old made his senior debut and won a penalty after dazzling runs, with his clips now going viral online. His technical brilliance and composure have sparked major excitement inside the club, and Groves has fuelled the hype around Dowman by comparing him to Barcelona legend Messi.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Groves said: "I heard about him coming through Hale End and through the age groups. He was 13 playing with the U16s... I then saw him play live for the first time with the U18s against Man United in the FA Youth Cup.

"He's got this technique that you can't really coach, where he's stop-start, stop-start, so when you're taking someone on and you think you've gone past them, but he'll stop and start, and end up scrambling the opposition's brain.

"So, he is a scary talent and he'll be well-nurtured at Arsenal because they've got a good reputation of bringing younger players through, like Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

"Style-wise, he's a lot like Lionel Messi. Only because he's left-footed, the same sort of build, got the balance... I'm not saying he's going to be as good as Messi because, of course, he's one of the greatest players of all time.

"Dowman has a good background to him, the only reason he won't make the level that he can with his talent, is if he's unlucky with his injuries, or his attitude isn't right. And from all the reports I've heard, he's a very well-balanced, level-headed man off the pitch, so as long as he stays like that, then the world's his lobster."

Groves believes Arsenal should mirror how Jude Bellingham was handled early on at Birmingham. He suggested Dowman should be eased into senior football in wide positions to develop physically before playing more centrally.

"He's too good at the moment for a loan. The only reason that he wasn't in the Arsenal squad at the end of last season was because of the Premier League rules with 15-year-olds not playing in the side," Groves added.

"You have to nurture him and I'll go back to Jude Bellingham, obviously a generational talent, he did fantastically and Borussia Dortmund and now at Real Madrid.

"At Birmingham, he was handled brilliantly because they played him in the Championship, where it's muck and nettles and you get smashed everywhere. They played him left-wing-ish, staying out of the main maelstrom where that's all going on, and he could learn his trade because they wanted him to develop physically before they played him more central.

"So, I think that Max Dowman will end up playing in the wider areas, but as his career progresses, and if he goes on that trajectory, he'll end up being in that inside left or a number 10."

The teenager is expected to continue training with the Arsenal first team while being carefully monitored. Arteta will likely follow a gradual plan to integrate Dowman without overexposure. If handled well, the Hale End product could become the club’s next homegrown superstar.