HOW is it possible to light up the Premier League before you’ve even started shaving properly?
Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha have shown us it can be done with their razor-sharp displays.
Back in the 1980s, when I was strutting my stuff on the dancefloor, there was a hit by Wham! called ‘Young Guns (Go for it!)’.
And these two shooting starlets are certainly doing just that.
Dowman came off the bench for Arsenal in their 5-0 victory over Leeds and won a penalty.
But then, on Monday night, Ngumoha went one better by rifling home a 100th-minute winner in Liverpool’s remarkable 3-2 win over Newcastle.
But the really astonishing aspect is the tender age of both these players.
While Ngumoha was almost in his pipe and slippers by coming off the bench to score at St James’ Park aged 16 years and 361 days, Dowman was a frankly ridiculous 15 years 234 days when he made all at the Emirates Stadium sit up and take notice.
To continue my 1980s musical theme, these are the New Kids on the Block.
Such precocious talents should be welcomed in the Premier League and especially because both just happen to be English.
Their debuts were both truly inspiring and their futures are so promising — although Arsenal and Liverpool will do everything they can to protect them as they make their first baby steps in the world of professional football.
Ngumoha turned 17 yesterday and has sparkled for England’s youth sides.
Dowman is in good company as his Gunners team-mate Ethan Nwaneri is still the youngest player to have played in the Premier League.
Nwaneri was only 15 years, 181 days when he came off the bench to make his Arsenal debut against Brentford in September 2022 and has only just turned 18 earlier this year.
Mind you, a week before Nwaneri made his first appearance, the British record was broken when Northern Irish senior club Glenavon handed a debut to Christopher Atherton — who was just 13 years old at the time.
What next?
Perhaps a kid still in the cub scouts will get the nod!
Dowman has also looked the part while wearing the Three Lions shirt.
He played for England at the European Under-17 Championships in May, becoming the competition’s youngest scorer when he netted against the Czech Republic.
Both these players and many others need careful nurturing, as there have been numerous stories of teenagers who have shone briefly, then faded.
The game is littered with youngsters tipped for superstardom, who have then failed to live up to the hype.
Remember Francis Jeffers? Or how about Nick Powell, Josh McEachran, Nii Lamptey, Federico Macheda, Anthony Le Tallec or John Bostock.
Matthew Briggs broke the Premier League record when making his Fulham debut in 2007, but his career failed to ignite.
While at Manchester United, Ravel Morrison was described by Sir Alex Ferguson as the best teenager he had ever seen.
Then there was Freddy Adu, dubbed the ‘next Pele’. Unfortunately, he wasn’t.
Of course, there are successes too, notably Wayne Rooney who made his goal-scoring debut for Everton aged just 16 and won five league titles with Manchester United, becoming the club’s record scorer with 253 goals along the way.
But it can be a cruel game and youngsters need time to develop at their own pace.
That’s what the coaches will be telling Ngumoha and Dowman.
But it shows that clubs are willing to throw players in at the deep end, even when they are barely out of short trousers.
It is a brave and laudable stance by Liverpool and Arsenal and it will be fascinating to see how their careers develop.
My advice would be simple, because former US President Theodore Roosevelt got it about right when he told a bunch of kids: “Believe you can — and you’re halfway there.”
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