Arteta refuses to reveal what he told red-carded Dowman as Arsenal exit Carabao Cup

Mikel Arteta has refused to publicly reveal what he said to teenager Max Dowman after the Arsenal winger was sent off in a Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat to Fleetwood Town, telling reporters the exchange was private and had been discussed before kick-off.

Dowman, 16, was dismissed by referee Michael Salisbury after retaliating to a heavy challenge late in the tie at Highbury. As the youngster trudged down the tunnel, Arteta approached him and appeared to deliver a sharp message — footage that drew widespread criticism from pundits and supporters who felt the red card itself was unduly harsh.

Asked directly what he had said to Dowman, Arteta told his post-match press conference: “It’s something that we discussed before the game.” He declined to elaborate, adding: “We’re not going to discuss that here and now.” The Arsenal manager had said moments earlier that the squad were “very clear on what to expect” from Fleetwood and that “emotionally, we have to dominate.”

Arteta also stopped short of criticising the officiating, despite the red card effectively ending Arsenal’s hopes of progressing. “I haven’t seen it back, and with the camera you can’t really see what happens,” he said. “The decision was made by the referee, and that’s it. Even with 10 men, we had three big chances to score.”

Former Arsenal forward Paul Merson was less measured in his assessment. “This didn’t look good to me at all,” he said. “If that’s [Viktor] Gyokeres, who’s an experienced international, [Arteta] isn’t doing that — but he does that to a 16-year-old kid?”

The dismissal is Dowman’s second this month. He was also sent off for England under-19s following a reckless challenge, an incident that came after he had been repeatedly targeted by opponents.

The ban that follows leaves Arsenal short of options on the right wing heading into the weekend. Bukayo Saka is sidelined for approximately two months with a muscle injury sustained against Bayern Munich, while Noni Madueke was absent from the Fleetwood tie with a knock of his own.