‘Proper player’ – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain blown away by Arsenal star in training

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain says he could tell ‘right from the off’ that Max Dowman was a ‘proper player’ after being invited back to train with Arsenal this winter.

After his Besiktas contract was terminated by mutual agreement in late August, Oxlade-Chamberlain has been putting in the hard yards to maintain his fitness levels with a view to finding a new club.

Intent on prolonging his playing career, the 32-year-old midfielder decided to reach out to Per Mertesacker, his former Arsenal team-mate, who now works as manager of the club’s academy programme.

Both Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta were immediately perceptive the idea, with Oxlade-Chamberlain confident that the experience could not only benefit himself, but also Arsenal’s younger players.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has gone on to work with Arsenal’s first-team and Under-21 squads, while also taking part in behind-closed-doors friendlies against Watford and Manchester United for the Gunners.

The likes of Gabriel Jesus, Charles Sagoe Jr and Dowman were also involved in Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over United at the weekend – and Oxlade-Chamberlain is clearly relishing being back on his old stomping ground.

‘It makes me even more determined to help them by helping out some of the younger players and sharing my experiences,’ he told The Athletic.

While Oxlade-Chamberlain has primarily been training with the U21s, he has also shared a pitch with Arteta’s senior squad, who have blown him away with their application and skill level.

Asked which players had most impressed him, Oxlade-Chamberlain, a three-time FA Cup winner with Arsenal, replied: ‘All of them.’

On Declan Rice, Oxlade-Chamberlain said: ‘Unbelievable, he was already a great player at West Ham but now he’s gone into another stratosphere.

Turning his attentions to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, he continued: ‘The quality he has got, the way he leads by example. Honestly, I could keep going.’

Having only previously watched Dowman through a TV screen, Oxlade-Chamberlain was looking forward to finding out exactly what the 15-year-old sensation looked like up close on the training ground.

The teenager made an immediate impression with his ball control and movement, but it was his ‘ really good character’ that also stood out to Oxlade-Chamberlain.

‘When I saw him for the first time, I was thinking, “Let’s see what all this talk is about”,’ he said of Dowman, who has since been ruled out for two months with ankle ligament damage.

‘It wasn’t even a session where you could do that much, but right from the off, you could tell he is a proper player, the way he controls the ball and the way he moves.

‘And from what I see, he’s a really good character, mature in the way he carries himself.’

Oxlade-Chamberlain went on to name-check Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly as players who had shone during his time at London Colney.

‘What a player he is,’ he said of Jesus.

‘I’ve played against him many times, but just seeing how he trains, the way he works, how sharp his finishing is, he’s really impressive.

‘And I’ve been really impressed by the young guys, like Max, Ethan and Myles

‘Ability-wise and the way they are as characters, it’s really impressive at such a young age.’

Facing the media last month, Arteta said he was only too happy to offer Oxlade-Chamberlain a helping hand while old team-mate was still without a club.

‘If we can help him and give him the space for him to get up to speed and have the capacity to find a club,’ the Arsenal head coach told reporters.

‘It’s a joy, the boys will learn from it.

‘I had the privilege to play with him and if he is around he will be a really good role model to have around the team.’

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