Declan Rice has heaped praise on an Arsenal player who hasn’t featured under Mikel Arteta since early November.
The Gunners are preparing for a crucial Premier League clash against rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, as they look to bounce back from Wednesday’s disappointment at Molineux. Wolves struck late to salvage a point and deny Arsenal all three, significantly denting Arteta’s side’s title hopes.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are in contention to feature against the Lilywhites following thigh and knee injuries respectively, as the Gunners’ squad edges closer to full fitness. However, one man who isn’t likely to be involved at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and hasn’t played for several months has found himself the subject of praise from midfield stalwart Rice.
Declan Rice says Arsenal star is ‘incredible’
Rice has established himself as something of a leader in the Arsenal dressing room over the last two years. Regularly seen barking orders at his teammates and consistently taking ownership of poor performances in the media, the England international is the Gunners’ de facto captain.
The 27-year-old has also been cited as an influential figure when it comes to helping new players bed in at London Colney. Hale End wonderkid Max Dowman is among those who has cited Rice as a mentor and someone he looks up to, and the former West Ham man has now voiced his own admiration for the youngster.
15 years and 308 days old, the youngest player in Champions League history…
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 4, 2025
Max Dowman ✨ pic.twitter.com/b7ke7nuIab
Speaking to the Sun, Rice described Dowman as ‘incredible’, claiming that he is blown away by the 16-year-old’s ability.
“He’s incredible. He’s a talent that I’ve not seen at that age,” Rice said.
“I remember it was [Jack] Wilshere who first told me about him. He said: ‘I’ve got this 14-year-old who’s playing in the Under-18s. You need to watch him’. And from that moment on, it was just…you could tell.
“You know when a footballer’s good, and Max for sure has definitely got it.”
Such is the introspective and mature nature of Rice’s character, that he then drew on his own experiences as a youngster in West Ham’s dressing room, explaining how this enabled him to resonate with Dowman and help the teenage sensation integrate.
“I’ve been in that position and I’ve been a young kid in an academy and trained with the first team when I was 15, 16. So I know sometimes it can feel intimidating. It can feel really weird going up to a first-team player and speaking to them.
“I remember myself going up to Mark Noble, Andy Carroll, James Collins, thinking how are they going to take me in?
“So that’s why when I see the younger kids now, I try to give them as much love as possible because I know how they can be feeling.”
Max Dowman can still make an impact for Arsenal this season
Dowman hasn’t played for Arsenal’s first team since coming on as a late substitute in a Champions League game away at Slavia Prague in November. Prior to that, he’d made five more appearances for the senior side, but has since been out with an ankle injury.
Arsenal fans would be forgiven for having forgotten about Dowman as an option this term, but now he’s return to training, he could certainly still make an impact on the pitch.
While the likes of Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka are ahead of the England under-19 international in the pecking order on the right, there are plenty of minutes to go around between now and the end of the season. It’s not implausible to suggest that Dowman could be used in certain scenarios in cup games or from the bench, and still make a telling contribution that leads the Gunners to silverware.
Rice has reminded everyone of the talent that Arsenal’s next poster boy possesses, and this talent isn’t prohibited from leaving a mark in the short-term.
