At a Glance:
- Declan Rice was asked about whether he was as good as Arsenal gem Max Dowman at 16 years of age.
- Rice broke down how good he was as a teenager at West Ham.
- Rice revealed whether Dowman is better than every youngster he came across as a youth player at Chelsea.
Max Dowman is one of several highly-rated young players Declan Rice has played throughout his career at club and international level.
At Arsenal alone, the former West Ham United captain has also trained and played alongside prodigious youngsters such as Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly as well.
Meanwhile, the experience of witnessing the rise of superstars such as Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham means Rice knows a thing or two about what makes a special young player.
Dowman has earned praise from Paul Scholes and several big names in the game as the teenager looks like one of the most naturally gifted players England have produced in years.
Declan Rice admits he was ‘rubbish’ compared to Max Dowman at 16
Ahead of Arsenal’s much-awaited clash against Sporting CP in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final, Rice was quizzed about whether he was on his teammate’s level at 16 years of age.
After all, the Europa Conference League winner also made his debut for West Ham as an 18-year-old against Burnley in 2017.
John Terry labelled Dowman as “outstanding” and Rice further exemplified how gifted the Hale End academy graduate is by admitting that he was nowhere near the young attacker’s level at the same age.
The England international told Stadium Astro: “I was rubbish! Compared to him at 16, I was 16, I’d just got my scholarship. I was the only player at West Ham that got offered a scholarship, not a pro contract so seven in my group got offered pro’s, I got a scholarship and obviously, after that, it gave me more motivation to kick on and try and get a pro contract and once I got that first one, I just kept pushing on and on and on and then the mindset was there and the desire to become a footballer was there.”
“I was a good footballer at that age but I was nowhere near what Max is. I think he’s the best I’ve seen at 16.”
Rice also claimed that despite all the top talent he saw at Chelsea as a youngster, Dowman trumps his former teammates: “Back in the day, when I was at Chelsea, there were a lot of players around who were unbelievable as well but I think Max is probably the best I’ve seen at his age.”
Declan Rice reveals Max Dowman’s ‘special trait’
The 27-year-old also went on to reveal that what is well and truly “special” about Dowman is that despite being just 16, he is fearless despite playing at senior level.
“Yeah, he’s obviously incredible. It’s an eye-opener and you see how good he is. He hasn’t got any fear at all, he just goes into games not even thinking about it, he just goes out and plays football and to have that already at 16, it’s a special trait.”
“As he keeps getting older and he carries that with him, it’s obviously going to standing him in really good stead.”
Rice added: “He’s obviously such a good kid. But it’s important that we’ve got the right people around him, not forcing him, not rushing him to do anything, just keep pushing him along nicely. England have a real talent on their hands, so we have to take our time with him.”
