At A Glance:
- Myles Lewis-Skelly has fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal.
- A report has delved into why that is the case.
- Manchester United are among those interested in his services.
It wasn’t long ago that Myles Lewis-Skelly, a former Hale Ender, was viewed as Arsenal’s next captain by virtue of the way that he took responsibility in his stride and bossed Real Madrid and the Santiago Bernabeu.
He looked the real deal and the 19-year-old looked destined to be picked by Thomas Tuchel as England’s first-choice left-back at the 2026 World Cup in north America.
That is no longer the case given that he has found minutes hard to come by at the Emirates Stadium despite the Gunners fighting on all fronts up until Sunday.
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Even in Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, Lewis-Skelly remained an unused substitute and a report has now delved into Arteta’s tactical tweak that means the Englishman is no longer a necessity.
Arteta’s tactical tweak and why Lewis-Skelly in on the periphery
No doubt on the cusp of first-team action now, it’s a shame things have panned out the way they have because it wasn’t too long ago that the world was his oyster.
If we look at last season’s (2024/25) numbers, he played 39 times in all competitions – including 23 times in the Premier League – and understood that he’d be battling for game time alongside Calafiori.
It seems the Italian has leapfrogged him in that regard and the addition of Piero Hincapie, which is set to turn permanent this summer, has restricted him this time around.
Simon Collings, writing for The Sun, has identified why this has been the case. He would often drive into midfield and add steel to the engine room when playing last term – but Declan Rice’s deeper role has thwarted that.
Rice and Martin Zubimendi have forged a formidable relationship at the base of the Arsenal midfield this season, meaning the left-back has been reduced to running up and down the flank like a traditional full-back would do.
As a result, the need for a left-sided defender to invert and dictate play from the middle of the park has diminished.
Could Arteta switch things up and play him in midfield? That’s his natural position, of course, but the fact that Rice and Zubimendi have worked so well in tandem reduces the chances of that happening.
Lewis-Skelly eyed by Manchester United
Due to a lack of minutes at the club, Lewis-Skelly – alongside Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus – is among those who could move onto pastures new in the summer of 2026.
That will come as a shock to many fans given that he was destined to achieve great things in the red of Arsenal – but Manchester United have reportedly identified the 19-year-old as part of their four-man shortlist for left-back.
As reported by The Mirror, the Red Devils are ambitiously looking to pounce on Lewis-Skelly’s situation and sign him at the end of the season.
United, currently managed by Michael Carrick, are looking to replace the unreliable Luke Shaw and the teenager is on their radar.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, 19, only put pen to paper on a new five-year deal with the Gunners in the summer months and would ideally stay put given he rose through the academy ranks and is a life-long fan.
