Max Dowman made more history on Friday night, becoming the first 16-year-old to feature for England men’s U-21s. In doing so, he moved ahead of Jude Bellingham as the youngest player to represent the Young Lions, although the occasion was not entirely straightforward for the teenager.

Dowman had earned his place in Lee Carsley’s squad after impressing Ben Futcher during the extended fall internationals, even with a red card that was viewed as a warning sign for his temperament at club level. Against Portugal at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate, he was introduced for the final half-hour as part of a quintuple substitution, but the changes could not prevent a 1-0 defeat.

Even so, Carsley was clearly encouraged by what he saw from the Arsenal youngster. “I thought he was outstanding when he came on tonight,” the manager gushed. “I thought all of the subs made a real impact. I thought Max was unlucky not to get an assist, he made a great pass to Mikey Moore.

“He took up some really good positions, both in the 10 and out wide, he’s got a big future ahead.”

England will head to the U-21 European Championship next summer as defending champions, having lifted the trophy in 2025 and 2023. With a friendly against France still to come on Monday, followed by March’s fixtures, Dowman has only a short run of games to strengthen his case for a place in the tournament squad.

“We’ve only got three games left before the Euros,” the former senior England interim manager warned. “So it’s important that he puts himself in the shop window to be on the plane. It’s important that he keeps playing well, getting minutes, showing a really good attitude, like he has done.”

For all the records already attached to his name, the switch to U-21 level has likely closed the door on another, at least for now. Dowman will not become England’s youngest senior men’s international unless there is an unexpected change of plan from Thomas Tuchel this month, and even then he would age beyond Theo Walcott’s benchmark of 17 years and 75 days before March’s fixtures.

Martín Zubimendi has moved to calm speculation about his future, insisting he is focused on winning a place in the side rather than discussing a possible Arsenal exit. With his minutes reduced and Bruno Guimarães arriving last summer to take a prominent role, rumours have grown around the midfielder. Zubimendi, though, says there is no real basis to them.

“I haven’t wasted any energy on outside things,” Zubimendi told MARCA when quizzed about the rumors. “I’m busy enough trying to earn a place, get playing time, and fight to win this Premier League , which is looking so promising. I haven’t spent any energy on it, nor have I contacted anyone.”

He also pushed back against the way speculation has gathered pace as the winter window approaches. “To be honest, I’m sometimes surprised by the press too. I understand that the winter transfer window is approaching and rumors can surface, but I think we need to be a bit more careful with what we publish.

“Ultimately, everyone has a team they play for, and we need to respect that. I’ve also read that I might be close [to joining Atlético Madrid], but not at all.”

Asked directly whether he expects to remain with the Gunners through the end of the season, he replied: “Yes, I hope so. I’m happy there.”

The 27-year-old also reflected on the physical demands of last season, when he was heavily involved. “I don’t like to blame everything on my physical condition, but I definitely noticed it [last] year,” said the Spaniard. “It was a new year for me, with a lot of new stimuli. I played a huge number of minutes and, to be honest, I was tired. Then there were other things too, but one of them could very well have been my physical condition.”

His challenge now is getting back into Mikel Arteta’s midfield plans. Declan Rice and captain Martin Ødegaard are established starters, while Zubimendi is competing with Mikel Merino, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Guimarães for the remaining spot. Even so, he insists patience is part of the process. “I’m patient,” Zubimendi replied when asked about his waning influence. “When you’ve been playing a lot of minutes and your role changes to not playing as much, I’m able to see the positive side. I think everything passes, that just like last year the opposite happened to me and I played practically everything, this can change very quickly.”

Álex Baena has spoken openly about Martín Zubimendi, with the Atlético Madrid and Spain midfielder saying he would welcome the Arsenal man to La Liga and describing him as the “second-best defensive midfielder in the world.”

Zubimendi arrived at Arsenal to help cover the exits of Jorginho and Thomas Partey, and his first months suggested the move could shape the club’s midfield for years to come. Midway through the 2025 summer window, he was already being viewed as one of the standout signings of the market, with Arteta regularly praising his influence.

That admiration was underlined after Zubimendi scored the first brace of his senior career in a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in September 2025. On that occasion, Arteta said: “Martín is bringing such a presence, composure and understanding of the game that makes the team flow and play better.”

Yet his standing has not remained the same. While he still finished the campaign with 57 appearances in all competitions as Arsenal won the league title, his influence faded towards the end of the season. That pattern has continued into the current campaign, where he has become more peripheral under Arteta.

The speculation has been fuelled by reports in Spain that Atlético could be interested in a winter move, while The Standard has reported that Arsenal are not actively seeking to sell him but could be open to the right offer.

Baena’s comments came after a difficult spell for Atlético, who lost back-to-back home games to Bayern Munich and Barcelona before the international break and dropped to third in La Liga. With Koke’s future also a consideration, midfield depth remains a question for the club.

Zubimendi made Luis de la Fuente’s World Cup squad but only played seven minutes, and at Arsenal he has since slipped further down the pecking order after the summer arrival of Bruno Guimarães. He has made just three Premier League starts and has been limited to 100 Premier League minutes across seven appearances.