Lionel Messi names Max Dowman on 10 future stars list in ultimate endorsement

Max Dowman has been highlighted by Lionel Messi as one of the rising stars of the footballing world

Lionel Messi has named his top 10 Adidas future stars and Arsenal's Max Dowman has been chosen.

The teenager burst onto the scene for the Gunners last season, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history with a winning goal against Everton. Dowman has seen his trajectory continue to rise with Mikel Arteta managing his minutes carefully this campaign.

He most recently won the Carabao Cup Player of the Round award for his brace against Ipswich Town and also set three Guinness World Records for his Everton goal, a rare Champions League appearance at 15, and his Premier League title win. Now, his rapid progress has caught the eye of Messi.

Messi revealed his list of the next generation of footballing greats in collaboration with Adidas, naming 10 athletes sponsored by the elite brand. Dowman was included on this list alongside United States international Zavier Gozo and Como winger Jesus Rodriguez.

Gilberto Mora, also included in Messi's upcoming stars, has been linked with Arsenal in a potential January transfer swoop. ESPN reports that the Gunners have made contact with Tijuana over the 17-year-old Mexico international, who is attracting interest from Benfica, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.

Other names on the list include: Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors), Kees Smit (AZ Alkmaar), Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), Chloe Sarwie (Chelsea), Giovanna Waksman (Lyon) and Lotta Wrede (Hamburger SV).

Messi's thoughts on Dowman are equally replicated by his current manager but Arteta has insisted fans are patient with the teenager's progress in the Arsenal squad. In September, the Gunners boss was asked if the youngster could feature regularly in the Premier League and he was quick to make his thoughts known.

Arteta said: "Everything is possible. The probability probably is extremely low, because you don't see the players with the capacity to handle just the physicality of the game.

"Not only that, but the demands that you have to put your bodies through in the week to be able to be in a good condition to compete, the amount of information, the challenges that you have to face. But he's doing it, and he's doing it really well every time he's got a chance."

Highlighting the need to give Dowman time to develop, he added: "What we have to do is look after him - he's 16-years-old, you don't see that in this league. In other leagues in Europe, that's a totally different context. But in this league, with the demands that the league, the players and everything puts on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he's in the right context with the right preparation, and that's what we are trying to do.

"We're going to make sure that when we just throw him there, he's ready to handle that at every level, and it's not just that he can run past somebody. There's a lot more things that we need to look after him...the only thing that we have to manage is that he needs to constantly be aware that he needs to be prepared for what he needs to do."

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