The teenager has been replaced in the Champions League squad by the now-fit Gabriel Jesus after suffering an injury
18:03, 09 Dec 2025
Max Dowman has been replaced in Arsenal’s Champions League squad by Gabriel Jesus(Image: James Fearn/Getty Images)
Arsenal youngster Max Dowman has been left in limbo over his involvement for the club in the Champions League amid a change to the squad.
The highly-rated 15-year-old had made two Premier League appearances for Arsenal this season before the end of August. He has, however, since either been an unused substitute or not in the squad altogether.
The teenager’s most recent first-team appearance for the Gunners came in the 3-0 Champions League win over Slavia Praha at the start of last month.
Injury and a decision from Mikel Arteta means that will be Dowman’s last appearance in the competition for at least 60 days.
It was confirmed this week that the winger suffered an injury while playing for the club’s U21s side last weekend. The extent of the problem is unknown, but it’s enough for Arsenal to make a change to their squad.
In a statement, the club confirmed: “Gabriel Jesus has replaced Max Dowman on our UEFA A list with immediate effect.
“Therefore, Gabby is eligible to play in our match against Club Brugge in Belgium on Wednesday night.
“Max, who picked up an ankle injury playing for our under-21s on Saturday, will be added to our UEFA B list in January, but will not be permitted to play in any UEFA competitions for 60 days from today (February 6).”
Gabriel Jesus is back fit in a boost to Arsenal(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
While the injury may not keep him out of action for 60 days, the decision to substitute him out of the squad does mean that it will be a wait of almost three months until he is eligible to play again in the competition.
The inclusion of Jesus comes after the striker’s recovery from an ACL injury last season. The striker made his first appearances back in the first team squad against Chelsea and Brentford.
The decision to now replace Dowman with Jesus shows that Arteta isn’t afraid to make ruthless decisions, despite the player’s young age.
The injury has given Arsenal the chance to bring an experienced striker into the squad for the final group stage games.
For Dowman, he will look to recover from his injury as quickly as possible and then again catch the eye of Arteta with his performances for the Development team as he waits for his chance.
