Dowman On Everyone's Lips - Rooney's Advice For Arsenal Teen

Wayne Rooney says Max Dowman has sewage nan full shot world talking arsenic he offered nan Arsenal teen proposal pursuing his Premier League debut.

By coming disconnected nan chair during Arsenal's 5-0 triumph complete Leeds United connected Saturday, Dowman became nan second-youngest subordinate to play for nan nine astatine 15 years and 234 days old.

Rooney is among nan fewer who tin subordinate to nan Arsenal winger's experience.

He made his Everton debut aged 16 successful August 2002 and was still 5 days short of his 17th day erstwhile he scored a stunning precocious victor against Arsenal 2 months later - becoming nan Premier League's youngest scorer astatine nan time.

Speaking connected his caller BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney reflected connected individual acquisition of making his first-team debut truthful young and immoderate of nan challenges Dowman is apt to look successful nan coming months and years.

"To play astatine that property successful nan Premier League is crazy," Rooney said. "I cognize I played erstwhile I was young, but I deliberation he's for illustration 150 days younger than I was aliases more.

"It's conscionable refreshing to spot a young lad get his opportunity, and, moreover though he's playing for Arsenal, each clip he cuts wrong you spell 'shoot'. You want him to put it successful nan apical corner."

While location was nary debut extremity for Dowman, he did triumph a punishment precocious on. Rooney was relieved that nan 15-year-old was not fixed nan work of taking it.

"If he gets it and scores, it's great, but I was reasoning if he misses that's nan quality successful being an absolute occurrence communicative and... each of abrupt you get everyone, not everyone, but online group having a spell astatine him," nan erstwhile Manchester United striker added.

"So I was really pleased he didn't, but it was specified an awesome debut."

The situation for Dowman is to stay grounded arsenic his floor plan grows and nan excitement complete his imaginable builds.

"For Max and his family and friends, I'm judge they're each surviving successful a dream and a fairy communicative and it astir apt hasn't deed location yet," Rooney said. "But you tin spot his early is truthful bright, he is going to person a monolithic future.

"Everyone you speak to successful football, nan aforesaid sanction keeps coming back: Max Dowman.

"It's difficult for anyone. I deliberation nan first point you've sewage to do is conscionable enactment astir your family and adjacent friends.

"Listen to them because location are going to beryllium group retired location who are trying to beryllium your friend aliases trying to get successful touch pinch you - immoderate for bully reasons, immoderate for not truthful bully reasons.

"You conscionable person to make judge nan group who are person to you, you enactment astir them and perceive to their proposal alternatively than outsiders."

As good arsenic stepping up connected nan pitch, Rooney says location are besides adjustments disconnected it for a young subordinate breaking into nan first team.

"It's surreal. It's truthful unusual that 1 infinitesimal you're successful nan younker squad and nan adjacent you're successful nan first-team dressing room pinch immoderate of your heroes," Rooney said.

"For me, it was immoderate of my heroes increasing up, past we're training, we're playing, we're becoming friends.

"I was astir astatine Duncan Ferguson's house. He lived connected nan aforesaid roadworthy arsenic me, and I'm conscionable chilling pinch him and Alan Stubbs. And you're like, 'what is going connected here?'.

"It's thing you really request to get utilized to quickly because it tin beryllium overwhelming.

"Max Dowman looks for illustration a very level-headed lad from everything I've seen and you dream he manages to woody pinch it and understands what's coming his measurement very soon."

Rooney's main words of proposal for Dowman travel from nan heart.

"Enjoy it. I'm judge we're going to spot truthful overmuch of him, truthful overmuch of his talent and goals and assists, whatever," he said.

"Alan Stubbs ever said to maine years ago, 'make judge you bask it because it goes very quickly'.

"When you're young, you don't deliberation that aliases you sometimes hide that, but bask it and make nan astir of it."

Watch nan Wayne Rooney Show connected BBC Sport YouTube,, external and iPlayer. Listen connected BBC Sounds.