What next for Dowman - how do you look after a precious talent?

Arsenal's Max Dowman made history when he became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history in their 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday.

The substitute - aged 16 years and 73 days - ran from his own half before scoring into an empty net after Toffees keeper Jordan Pickford had come forward for a set-piece in injury time.

Dowman had also had a hand in Viktor Gyokeres' opening goal - which came in the 89th minute.

His impact could play a huge role in deciding the Premier League title as Arsenal now lead Manchester City - who drew 1-1 with West Ham - by nine points.

Working as a pundit on Match of the Day, former England goalkeeper Joe Hart said: "Mikel Arteta isn't taking any chances. He's bringing him on because he believes he's going to change the game.

"He's not in this to try to win awards or say 'I was the one to bring Max Dowman on'. He couldn't care less if he was 16 or 66. He was bringing him on to win the game."

The England Under-19 international, making his seventh appearance for the club, has shown he clearly has the talent - but that is not the only concern when it comes to a prodigious talent so young.

The question now is how can the Gunners continue to develop and take care of the youngster.

Dowman is no stranger to the Gunners' first-team set-up – his first involvement came on their warm-weather training camp to Dubai aged just 14.

He featured in pre-season friendlies before making his competitive debut at Slavia Prague last November.

But Arteta has resisted the temptation to rush him into the team, despite some fans' excitement. He has started two domestic cup games this season - with another five substitute appearances across all competitions.

There are clear rules in place for players aged under 18 playing in adult men's football.

Dowman is still at school and due to sit his GCSE exams this summer.

He has to get changed in a separate room to his team-mates – going into the main changing room for team-talks.

Broadcaster Lucy Ward worked for Leeds United for 17 years including in a role as education and welfare officer, dealing with the club's young players.

"In the eyes of the law he is still a child," Ward told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He looks and behaves like an adult, he's in an adult environment and scores goals for Arsenal, but the law says that he is treated as a child until he is 18.

"He is never left alone with anyone who hasn't got a DBS [Disclosure and Barring Service] check.

"His parents have to give their consent that he goes on away trips for instance, he will have a chaperone with him.

"He will have a set timetable where he has a part-private tutor and then goes into schools other times.

"He doesn't want to stand out, he just want to fit in but these safeguarding measures are in place for young players."

Earlier this season, the BBC's Gunners reporter Alex Howell said the club had been gathering information about how Dowman reacts to certain situations, whether that is being on the bench, training with the first team or not being named in the squad at all.

The Arsenal squad have a security team around them and one member is assigned to stay close to Dowman at all times.

Having a run in the first team at such a young age does not mean that future progress will not be without potential setbacks.

Myles Lewis-Skelly broke into the Gunners team last season at the age of 18, and played and scored for England.

But this season, he has only started once in the Premier League - although he is a regular in the Champions League.

Arsenal winger Ethan Nwaneri is the only player to make his Premier League debut at a younger age than Dowman (15 years and 181 days - 54 days younger than his team-mate).

Last season, aged 17, he scored nine times in 37 appearances for the Gunners, but he joined Marseille on loan in January after struggling for game time this term.

Ward says Dowman's family "have to get used to is the milestones of disappointment".

"It's important for the parents to handle it properly, to realise this could end at some point because of injury," she said.

"There might be a point where he doesn't get as much game time so he has to play for the under-21s or 23s. It's how you then cope with that.

"To be fair to Arteta, when he played Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly, it was a necessity because they had injuries. That experience helped Arteta because you have to be a really brave manager to play a kid.

"For Arsenal it's about managing the ups and downs, because it's not a straight line. Hopefully that won't be the best thing to happen to him as a player, but for plenty of players that has been the best thing in their career."

Many of the players in the youngest 10 Premier League goalscorers ever went on to have hugely successful careers including James Milner, Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas and Michael Owen.

But James Vaughan, the previous record holder before Dowman, spent the majority of his career in the EFL and retired aged 32 at League Two Tranmere.

"I don't think it's possible to stay fearless," Vaughan told Sky Sports in 2021., external "As you become a first-team player regularly there's people's wages, jobs and careers on the line.

"You know you're responsible for part of that, and you have to take that responsibility on. But as a kid you don't have that so you can just go out and play and enjoy your football."

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha says that while Dowman is an "outlier", it might become more common to see an increasing number of young players having an impact.

Dowman is the second 16-year-old to score in the Premier League this season after Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha.

The three youngest players in Premier League history are Nwaneri, Dowman and Leicester's Jeremy Monga, who played seven times last season.

Speaking in general about Dowman, Onuoha told BBC Radio 5 Live: "You can see how early some of these kids can be identified and some of the traits they have.

"It's not just like in the past when it was size, the technical ability you can see in young people now is far ahead of what it was 10 or 15 years ago.

"Someone like Max is outstanding and an outlier, but I think English football is going to produce a lot more players like him.

"To give him all the credit in the world, he had his impact yesterday, however at his age, there are so many players who just by age alone are ahead of where he should be right now."

Onuoha also thought it said a lot that Arsenal turned to him in the 74th minute with the score at 0-0 and the Gunners battling for points in the title race.

"The fact that management at Arsenal have seen his talent, seen his potential and seen his maturity, if he was just training with the first team this would be incredible," the ex-England Under-21 international said.

"He is not only training with them, he is in the squad, he's playing, he's having an impact and being trusted in these massive moments at 0-0, at the end of a season when you are pushing for anything.

"To put their trust in someone who is going to be young for a long time is very impressive."