Arsenal defender Cristhian Mosquera says that the Gunners have a player who is “like Lamine Yamal”. 

The Gunners are preparing to return from the international break with a game against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday. They hope to stay at the top of the Premier League table with a win before Liverpool face Manchester United on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta will be getting his players back from international duty over the coming days, so he can properly prepare for Saturday. Both centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba featured heavily for Brazil and for France during the break, so Arteta may decide to rest one.

If he does, it could hand Cristhian Mosquera the start, as he filled in brilliantly for Saliba when he was injured earlier in the season. The defender has said that since joining for £13m from Valencia in the summer, he has noticed that an Arsenal player is “like Lamine Yamal”.

Mosquera says Arsenal starlet Dowman is “like Lamine Yamal”

The Spanish defender has experience defending against some of the best players in the world, such as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Lamine Yamal. He played against them during his time with Valencia in La Liga, and so is in a position to compare players to the world’s best.

That’s exactly what the 21-year-old has done, as he has said that 15-year-old Arsenal star Max Dowman reminds him of Yamal at Barcelona, which is perhaps the highest praise he could give him.

Mosquera told the Athletic: “I don’t mean to compare, but his style and way of playing is like Lamine Yamal. His movements are Lamine-esque. When they told me he was 15, I couldn’t believe it. He really is an incredible player, and I think he’s going to be world-class.”

Dowman could get more of a chance in the coming months

The 15-year-old likes to play in a wider role, but he can also feature as an attacking midfielder. Seeing as Martin Odegaard suffered an injury which is set to keep him out until after the next international break, Dowman could be handed more of a chance.

So far this season, the English youngster has made three appearances this season, which is impressive considering his age. He also managed to provide an assist in the Premier League. Dowman has also scored two goals in two games in the Premier League 2 for the Gunners’ U21s side.

Amid Odegaard’s injury, and the fact that the Gunners will now have regular midweek games in the Champions League until late January, Dowman could get more and more opportunity in the first team.

Click here to see Arsenal’s full first team squad coming out of the international break.