Arsenal teenager Max Dowman showed his appreciation for Liverpool‘s Rio Ngumoha after the Reds star scored against Athletic Bilbao. The former Chelsea academy star found the back of the net in a pre-season friendly and has been making the most of his chances under Arne Slot.

Liverpool faced Athletic Bilbao twice on Monday, August 4, with both sides eager to give as many players as possible a chance ahead of the new season. In the first game, the spotlight was on Ngumoha, and the teenager delivered. He scored a superb opening goal from outside the box and then provided an assist to Darwin Nunez to double the lead in the first half.

Arsenal’s Dowman was impressed with the Reds teenager and took to Instagram to share his message. He shared a photo of Ngumoha’s celebration and wrote ‘the coldest’.

Dowman has been in the news himself after impressing against Newcastle United in Arsenal’s pre-season match. The teenager won a penalty in the final minutes of the game in Singapore to help his side seal a 3-2 win over the Magpies.

Both Ngumoha and Dowman are in line to get first-team chances this season, but the Liverpool winger might be gaining more exposure than the Arsenal counterpart. Slot handed the teenager a chance in the FA Cup starting XI last season, and reports suggest he could be getting more games after the departure of Luis Diaz.

Arsenal and Liverpool managers heap praise on their teenage stars

Mikel Arteta heaped praise on Max Dowman earlier this summer after the teenager’s performance against Newcastle United. He hailed the 15-year-old as a special talent and said (via Standard):

“It is special. What he’s done today against this team in the time that he had on the pitch, it is something certainly not common to witness for a 15-year-old. We are extremely happy to have him. The environment that is around him, his family, the people at the club & academy are super helpful because they put him in this position so early in his journey, having a real chance and a real presence when he plays for the first team.”

Arne Slot also could not spot himself from praising his Liverpool teenager, but reminded fans that Ngumoha needs time as the level in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League is different. He said (via The Athletic)

“We’ve only played two games over here and we haven’t played against Premier League opponents yet. But I see him train, I see him play, and the impact he has when he trains and plays is really promising. Playing in the Premier League, playing every three days with the Champions League games in between, that’s something else.”

Liverpool won the Premier League title last season, while Arsenal finished 2nd in the table. The Gunners have been the runners-up in three successive seasons and are looking to end their 5-year trophy drought under Mikel Arteta.