Thomas Tuchel leaves door open for Max Dowman World Cup call-up

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Thomas Tuchel has not ruled out taking Max Dowman to the World Cup despite choosing not to call him up. The Arsenal midfielder has enjoyed an impressive breakout season at the Emirates.

He recently became the youngest-ever scorer in the Premier League with his goal against Everton . And that saw a clamour for the 16-year-old to be handed a spot in the England squad for the upcoming March internationals, something that Tuchel resisted.

Asked about the youngster, Tuchel suggested that he is in the right place to continue his development. He said: "Well, he put himself in the spotlight no? With this amazing goal against Everton , and a crucial goal.

"I think he is, at the moment, complete, and obviously a fantastic talent and an outstanding talent with this age. There cannot be a doubt about it.

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"Everyone who tells me about Max praises him and is full of compliments about him. The reality at the moment is also that he competes for minutes - he's not a regular starter for Arsenal.

"I think he's in a fantastic environment, I think he's in the best environment possible; in a competitive club, in a stable club, in a club where team work is the number one rule, this is how they play, this is how they function.

"So he learns from the very best, in the very best environment. And with these young guys, yeah, of course we know all these players and we see them as you do as well.

"At the moment I think he's in a good place to fight for his position, fight for his minutes at Arsenal."

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Asked about a potential future call-up for Dowman, Tuchel added: "We always have the chance to call him, maybe, up for the World Cup.

"The thing with young players is to keep their momentum, maybe, going and keep their excitement, and they have a level of fearlessness with them. So no need to call him up now and increase the pressure and increase all the noise that comes with it. But yeah, we have all options."

Dowman has made eight appearances for the England under-19s, having progressed through the age groups. He has scored once - that strike coming in a 7-0 win against Wales in October last year.

Dowman might get his first experience of Wembley this weekend, with the Gunners set to take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.