“We look at the ability of the player, not the age. He is ready to compete at the highest level. He is a very important asset for the future. He is different.”

This is what Thomas Tuchel should be saying when he responds to the first question about his latest England squad, which will be announced on Friday morning. But this is actually what Luis de la Fuente - the coach of Spain who would go on to win the Euros - said when he brought Lamine Yamal into his senior squad on September 1, 2023.

Yamal was 16 years and 50 days old when he got the call-up and had played 182 minutes of senior football for Barcelona. On the day of Tuchel’s squad announcement, Max Dowman will be 16 years and 79 days old and has played 236 minutes of senior football for Arsenal.

“He was a stalwart of our youth teams. He is a footballer with exceptional ability,” De la Fuente said of Yamal before giving him his first full cap in a Euro 2024 qualifying game in Georgia on September 8, 2023.

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Before his elevation to the senior ranks, Yamal had played four times for Spain under-16s, 10 times for the under-17s and once for the under-19s. Dowman has played five times for England under-16s, 16 times for the under-17s and eight times for the under-19s.

Yet so many pundits appear to believe Yamal’s early promotion to the senior ranks of an established international superpower should not be used as a precedent or a justification for Dowman to be called up by Tuchel. Why on earth not?

Just look at all the similarities listed above. Most importantly, look again at the description of Yamal by De la Fuente. “He is different. He is a very important asset for the future.” For Yamal of September 2023, read Dowman of March 2026.

In terms of taking Dowman to the World Cup, the comparison with Yamal is not as straightforward. By the time Euro 2024 started, Yamal was a regular starter for Barcelona.

But put World Cup 2026 to one side for the moment, England’s upcoming fixtures are against Uruguay and Japan. It will be said that they are an important part of Tuchel’s preparations for the World Cup and, to a certain extent, they might be.

But wait and see how many established players cry off. My guess is half a dozen, minimum.

What a great opportunity for Tuchel to get Dowman in the camp, watch him train at close quarters, and give him a run-out in front of a packed Wembley. The punters might even refrain from throwing paper planes if they get to see the country’s most exciting 16-year-old footballer in action.

What has Tuchel got to lose? And if he loves what he sees, take Dowman to the World Cup. The response to that is normally based on the premise that the 16-year-old has to be ‘protected’. Protected from what, exactly?

Life in a luxury hotel? A game of darts with a media type? Jordan Henderson’s team-bonding speeches? Daft photo opportunities that can involve inflatable flamingos? A private Ed Sheeran gig?

Okay, he most definitely needs protecting from the last one of those, who doesn't? But Dowman is quite clearly a footballer who now belongs in a senior football environment, whether that be for club or country.

In terms of precocious talent, physical and mental maturity well beyond his years, and the potential to provide - as the Spanish coach said - something ‘different’, Dowman can be for Tuchel what Yamal was for De la Fuente. It is an opportunity Tuchel should not miss.

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