Tuchel weighs first senior England call-up for 16-year-old Arsenal record-breaker Max Dowman

Thomas Tuchel is weighing a first senior England call-up for 16-year-old Arsenal forward Max Dowman after five players pulled out of the Three Lions’ Nations League squad during the current international break.

Marcus Rashford, Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento have all withdrawn from Tuchel’s party. Rice stepped back due to load-management concerns, while Palmer is managing a minor injury at his own pace. Rashford sustained a knock during Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday, and his club-mate Mainoo along with Newcastle’s Livramento are also recovering from minor injuries. Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner have already been drafted in as replacements, but Tuchel is understood to be considering a further addition.

Dowman is already at St George’s Park with England’s Under-19 setup, which would make any promotion to the senior squad straightforward logistically. The Chelmsford-born attacker made six Premier League appearances for Arsenal last season and, in March, became the top flight’s youngest-ever goalscorer when he netted against Everton at just 16 years and 73 days old. He also featured three times in the Champions League under Mikel Arteta — a campaign he balanced alongside sitting his GCSEs.

Despite that remarkable breakthrough, Dowman was not included in Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup in North America — a selection that also omitted Palmer, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Lewis Hall.

England open their Nations League campaign against Spain at a sold-out Wembley on Saturday, 26 September, before travelling to Prague to face Czechia on Tuesday, 30 September. The squad then returns to Wembley to host Croatia and faces a second fixture against Czechia to round out the four-match window. Whether Dowman is part of that group remains Tuchel’s call.