'Arteta Has Been Smart in Managing Dowman'

Watch The Observer's Rory Smith and former Premier League striker Chris Sutton debate Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta's handling of young player Max Dowman.

"They confronted the hype around him in the summer," Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"Arteta has taken it quite slow since then. It's been quite smart. His name has been around for a few years.

"He's been training with the first team for around nine months. He's had a chance to develop physically. This means that when he starts getting Premier League minutes, you have a player who is much more ready than if they had thrown him in straight away or waited much longer."

"I don't necessarily agree with that," Sutton responded.

"I suspect it was just a case of it feeling like the right time. I don't think they waited for this particular moment as part of a plan. Arteta was just thinking of the best way to win games at that moment."

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