"He has got his GCSEs, and his education, I'm sure for him and his family, is important as well. What an opportunity for him to be around the squad. He could be a Premier League winner when he's still finishing school off. He's got an aura and a belief about him and it was the same against Everton."
"Now we're in social media. People will be messaging, Instagram or Twitter, whatever he's got. And you'll be seeing it everywhere. So I don't think he will have slept many hours because I'm sure he will have been up watching it. It's different now, a different age when I was coming through."
"I was back out playing with my mates on the streets when I scored after the game. But times have changed. There was no social media at that time. So it was all about the newspapers and whether you liked it or not - front page and back page."
Max Dowman scored for Arsenal against Everton at age 16, becoming the Premier League's youngest goalscorer and helping Arsenal move nine points clear at the top. Wayne Rooney, who previously held this record after scoring for Everton in 2002, praised Dowman's talent and potential but emphasized the importance of balancing his football career with education and GCSE exams. Rooney reflected on his own experience as a young player, noting the significant differences between his era and today's social media landscape. He highlighted how modern scrutiny through platforms like Instagram and Twitter creates additional pressure for young athletes, contrasting it with the newspaper-focused attention he faced. Rooney suggested Dowman may need reduced playing time to focus on his studies, while acknowledging the extraordinary opportunity to potentially win a Premier League title while still in school.
Read at www.bbc.com
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