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Mikel Arteta says Max Dowman is showing more promise than a young Lionel Messi after the 16-year-old wonderkid committed his future to Arsenal.

Dowman has reached a pre-agreement with the Gunners which will see him sign a professional deal when he turns 17 on December 31

The midfielder made his debut in Arsenal’s 5-0 win against Leeds in August aged 15 years and 234 days and then became the north London club's youngest ever starter in the Carabao Cup win against Brighton.

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His progress has been halted by an ankle injury that has kept him out for nearly two months, restricting him to five appearances this season.

But Arteta, who was on Barcelona’s books at the same time as Messi, is expecting great things once he returns to action.

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When asked where Dowman sat among academy players he had seen come through the ranks, he said: “Well, certainly one of the best.

“What he has done with us, me personally, I haven’t seen before. Only with a guy that used to play in Barcelona – but maybe not even that.

“He has a certain charisma as well and personality. He doesn’t get overwhelmed, whether it’s by the situation or the stadium or the opposition and that’s a huge quality to have.

“The communication between us has been very, very productive over the years. It’s now down to him and us to build an amazing career.”

Dowman aside, Arteta will have a full squad to select from for his side’s pivotal Premier League trip to Leeds on Saturday and the Spaniard revealed he believes matchday squads need to be bolstered.

He said: “At the moment there are two or three players that I have to leave out. These are the rules of the Premier League.

“I beg them, like it is in the Champions League, (to change it), because it’s much better to manage the squad, to maintain the value of the players and to maintain the mental health of the players.

“We have a really unique job, which is the ability to transform somebody’s life, career. But every week we have to tell somebody, ‘Tomorrow you don’t do your job and you’re not even allowed to travel with the team’.

“Tell me a job that you have do that? I don’t go to the kitchen and say to two of the chefs, ‘Today you don’t cook, just go home’. The demands on games are bigger so we need bigger squads and it doesn’t make a lot of sense to restrict that.”

Arsenal are four points clear of Manchester City and Arteta insists he can maintain his strong relationship with Pep Guardiola as the two clubs battle for the title.

Arteta, who was Guardiola’s assistant at City for three years, said: “I don’t talk (with him) like my wife, but we talk.

“For me, the surprising thing would be to not (maintain that relationship). And it would set a really bad example for sport.

“The biggest lesson sport has given us was the relationship that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer had. We are not at that level. But they were two of the best in history, even though they had to play in finals.

“So how the hell am I not going to have a great relationship with someone that I admire? But when it goes to the court, or to the pitch, that’s for the winner.”