Arteta warns Dowman 'we are not in Disneyland' after red card

Arteta warned Dowman after his red card against Fleetwood that he will face the same standards as other first-team players, saying the teenager must learn to handle provocation.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has addressed Max Dowman's red card in Tuesday's Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out loss to Fleetwood Town, telling the 16-year-old attacker that "we are not in Disneyland" and that he will be held to the same standards as other first-team players.

Dowman was sent off in the 85th minute after reacting to a heavy challenge by Harrison Neal and will serve a three-match ban. Arteta said he had warned Dowman before the match about dealing with provocation. The manager revealed he spoke to Dowman on Thursday and confirmed there are "no issues at all" between them, but stressed the need to be "very straight" about expected standards.

Arteta noted that Dowman was also sent off for England U19s earlier this month in similar circumstances, facing heavy challenges from players of the same age. The FA upheld the red card after Arsenal's appeal, with Arteta expressing disappointment and noting he was "lucky" Dowman hadn't suffered a broken foot from the challenge.