English Premier League youngest players as Arsenal's Max Dowman ranks 2nd

25.08.2025 - 15:26 | source: Transfermarkt | Reading Time: 2 mins

Arsenal wonderkid shines

Rooney 20th & Dowman 2nd - The youngest debutants in English Premier League history

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It was a special afternoon for Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman on Saturday as he made his English Premier League debut against Leeds United, aged just 15. The attacking midfielder has earned a glowing reputation for his standout performances as he progressed through Arsenal’s academy. Several elite talents have emerged through the famed Hale End academy in recent years, including Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, but Dowman is widely regarded as the best.

The 15-year-old is unquestionably a generational talent and he’s adapted to the demands of professional football impressively across recent months. Dowman starred in pre-season for the Gunners and Mikel Arteta entrusted him with the final half-hour against Leeds. The English youth international became the second-youngest player in Arsenal’s history and he made an impact, winning a dubious penalty. Some famous starlets have burst onto the Premier League scene but where does Downman ranks amongst the youngest English top-flight debutants?

The youngest Premier League players of all time

Since the Premier League was established for the 1992/93 season, Dowman is the second youngest debutant after entering the fray aged 15 years, seven months and 23 days. Interestingly, Dowman is edged out by his fellow academy graduate at Arsenal, Ethan Nwaneri. The Englishman was almost two months younger than Dowman, when he debuted in a 3-0 win against Brentford in September 2022.

Dowman will hope that he will be afforded more regular opportunities than Nwaneri with Arteta only using the talented attacker sporadically across recent seasons. Jeremy Monga completes the top five after Ruud van Nistelrooy handed him his Leicester debut last season. Harvey Elliott also features in the top five after debuting for Fulham before earning his big move to Fulham. Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who ranks 20th in the list, made the biggest impact of any youngster in Premier League history with Everton and he was full of admiration for Dowman. "To play at that age in the Premier League is crazy," Rooney said. "I know I played when I was young, but I think he's like 150 days younger than I was or more.”

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