Declan Rice and Max Dowman hilarious Arsenal moment spotted at Emirates Stadium

Declan Rice was spotted poking fun at Max Dowman during Arsenal's 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League. Shortly after half-time at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, the duo crossed paths on the touchline as they prepared up to come on.

Rice, who was given a rest after leading the Gunners to a last-gasp victory against Newcastle United at the weekend, skipped towards the corner flag. After adjusting his shorts, the former West Ham captain put his hand out to high-five Dowman.

As the teenager put his hand out, Rice quickly moved his away and he left his teammate hanging. Eager to save face in front of the TNT Sport cameras, Dowman grabbed the England international's arm.

A video of the comical moment quickly went viral on social media, with supporters pointing out their brotherly relationship. One user on Reddit joked that Mikel Arteta would have been disappointed to see Dowman lose the 'duel'.

The 15-year-old midfielder became the second-youngest player in Arsenal and Premier League history when he came off the bench against Leeds United back in August. Unfortunately for Dowman, he wasn't afforded any minutes on the European stage against Olympiacos.

Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of Wednesday night's clash, Rice heaped great praise on the schoolboy. He said: "Ethan [Nwaneri] and Myles - the difference from last year to this year, how they’ve grown as people, is incredible.

"They’ll speak to anyone now, they’re loud, they’re themselves and that’s what you want. You want people to feel comfortable. Obviously, Max is only 15, just going to be turning 16 in December.

"I’ve never seen a 15-year-old so comfortable around the first team, it’s insane. They actually are just kids," added Rice. "I said to Max on the way back from pre-season tour, I couldn’t get my head around it that he was going back to school.

"He FaceTimed the other day and he had his school uniform on, and I was like ‘mate, you’ve just played in the Premier League a week ago, and now you’re walking back through the school gates’.

"Even me as a 15-year-old, going into West Ham’s first team dressing room, I would no way have been as confident as he was. I would’ve been quiet in the corner.

"Unless someone spoke to me, I wouldn’t have spoken to them, whereas I feel like now, Max especially, he’s just so confident in himself and his ability. The support network here is incredible and I’ve seen the academy - the way they work, it’s insane."

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Arteta revealed when he was first aware of Dowman's talent. The Spaniard said: "The first conversation was probably with Per [Mertesacker].

"We were talking about the talent and what he could see and feel that could reach the level that we needed. Straight away, his name came up, and then we started to look at him, and the way he's developed himself, and the steps that he's taken, and the speed he's taken them, it's probably unheard of.

"He's fully with us, he's part of us, he trains with us, and he's got the same chances as anybody else..."

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