Arsenal fans left fuming over Max Dowman incident during England U19 game

Arsenal fans have been left seething after their young academy star, Max Dowman, was fouled a total of 10 times in one half while on duty with the England Under-19s against Spain.

The 15-year-old wonderkid became the youngest player to start a game for the U19s, having previously made the youngest appearance off the bench in a 2-0 win over Ukraine on Wednesday. And during the clash with Spain, which finished in a 3-3 draw, Dowman's prodigious talent was evident as he was targeted by opposition players, especially in the opening 45 minutes.

He went on to play a total of 69 minutes before manager Will Antwi withdrew him for Liverpool starlet Rio Ngumoha. During the game, Dowman was sent tumbling on a number of occasions by Spain stars, who earned the wrath of Arsenal supporters onlin.

The talented teenager was fouled 10 TIMES in the first half alone and also won a penalty in the second half after being tripped inside the area.

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There was real concern from Arsenal fans over the sheer amount of times Dowman was targeted by Spain, especially from left-back Davinchi, as some called for more protection from referees. One said: "I pray his career is not ended before it started with the way he is being kicked and the referee not dealing with those situations. He's got to be protected."

Another wrote: "That [left back] probably should've been sent off in the first half. Dude just had his worst nightmare on display. Hopefully this kid won't have bad injuries considering how much he gets tackled in every game."

A third added: "The Spanish lad who repeatedly fouled him, was subbed and sat on his own with his head down for ages - The officiating was beyond awful - weak & pathetic, no protection whatsoever."

"Refs need to protect these kinds of players more," read another tweet. "Poor ol' Jack [Wilshere] had this same treatment and look how it ended for him."

Dowman has been named in Arsenal's Champions League squad this season after becoming the second-youngest player of all time in the Premier League with a sub appearance against Leeds last month.

Manager Mikel Arteta said he had to be careful over the player's development, saying: "He’s going to be in and around the team. We’re going to have to manage his development very well, his next steps, and now we are fully connected with everybody in order to achieve that."

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