Arsenal latest: Mikel Arteta dealt new blow as Max Dowman kicked for what he did in training

Mikel Arteta has confessed that Arsenal'ssenior players were not too pleased when young talent Max Dowman nutmegged them during training. The Gunners' head coach also shared a less positive update about Kai Havertz's time out due to injury.

Dowman, who has been hailed as the next big thing from Arsenal's Hale End academy, impressed during pre-season and made his Premier League debut last month against Leeds United, winning a penalty in stoppage time. Despite Dowman's promising future, Arteta revealed that his skills have not always been warmly received by his team-mates.

Arteta also discussed the struggles of German star Havertz, who suffered a knee injury during training last month and had to undergo surgery. This growing list of injured Arsenal players now includes Noni Madueke, as football.london brings you the latest news from the Emirates..

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Arteta admits Arsenal stars 'wanted to kick' young prodigy Dowman

Dowman, who has been training with the senior squad since he was 14, is seen as a rising star for the Gunners, particularly when playing in his preferred No. 10 role or out wide.

However, some Arsenal players did not appreciate being nutmegged by him during training. When asked about Dowman, Arteta revealed that some of the senior players gave him a tough welcome.

"At the beginning, they responded immediately – kick him! That was the first one, and Max, to be fair, he was excellent, stood up, and got to the next one," Arteta shared.

"You can really take it personally, of someone who was 14 last year, at some point when he was doing certain things to players, and now everybody loves him. You just want to hug him, help him.

"He's such a nice boy as well, and he's very much liked by everybody here. It brings responsibility to look after somebody with that talent and make sure we just do what we have to do to make sure we're given the best chance to exploit his talent, that's all."

Gunners set to 'miss' Havertz for months

Arteta will have to navigate most of the season without forward Havertz, who underwent knee surgery last month. The team's attacking line has suffered another setback with winger Madueke also sustaining a knee injury in their 1-1 draw against Manchester City.

The Arsenal boss gave a disappointing update on Havertz's condition: "With Kai, we know that it will be months with him. I don't know if it can be weeks, you never know, because this is Kai and he's a different specimen.

"We really miss him. Hopefully, he will be back, and back for the long term as well, so it is very important to look after that knee. So far, he's progressing pretty well."

Arteta has also confirmed that Madueke will be out of action for a few weeks, stating: "It looks like he [Madueke] is going to be out for a few weeks. We don't know yet, we're probably going to have to scan him next week again.

"He felt something at the beginning of the [City] match, he tried to carry on, and at half-time, he was too sore, so let's see. He was gutted, obviously. Very disappointing to see because he was in such a good state."