Dowell aiming to emulate Toffees hero Arteta

Mikel Arteta was a childhood hero for Kieran Dowell and the Everton youngster admits he is now trying to model his game on the Spaniard.

Comfortable on the ball and a superb distributor in the heart of midfield, Arteta was named as player of the season in each of his first two years at Goodison Park, having joined from Real Sociedad in 2005.

Combining incredible vision with a willingness to get stuck into a tackle, and a penchant for a spectacular goal, he departed for Arsenal in 2011 after scoring 27 times in 174 Premier League appearances, but is still rightly seen as one of the Toffees’ best midfielders of the past two decades.

Lifelong Evertonian Dowell joined the Blues academy as a seven-year-old, 12 months before Arteta made the move to Merseyside, and rose through the ranks to make his first-team debut in December 2014.

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Still only 19 years old, the engine-roomer helped England to Under-20 World Cup glory in South Korea this summer and now wants to begin emulating his idol as he pushes for a regular first-team place.

“He [Arteta] was someone I always looked up to as a kid,” said Dowell. “He was so graceful on the ball and he made everything look easy.

“He was great to watch and he is someone who I looked at and tried to implement areas of his game into my own. I play in similar positions, so I was always drawn to him.

“I remember watching him a lot but the 2010/11 season really stands out for me. He scored some great free-kicks that year and his one against Hull City sticks in my memory.”