Lewis-Skelly praised by Arsenal’s Arteta ahead of clash with Haaland

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on 17-year-old Gunners star Myles Lewis-Skelly after he made his first-team debut for the club at the weekend against Manchester City, where he immediately clashed with Erling Haaland.

Lewis-Skelly came on as a substitute for Arsenal and Arteta was asked about the teenager during his press conference ahead of the Carabao Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers.

It remains to be seen how often Lewis-Skelly will actually feature for Arsenal’s first team this season, but it seems clear that Arteta rates him highly. He has used him in pre-season and was confident that he would be an option as a substitute in a big game like the away game against Man City.

Arteta praised Lewis-Skelly as an intelligent and versatile player but also praised the character he showed when standing up for his team-mates during a clash with City forward Haaland after the final whistle.

Lewis-Skelly is a special character, says Arsenal manager Arteta

“He can play in three positions: left back, six and eight,” Arteta said.

“He’s very adaptable, I think that’s a good quality of Myles. He’s very intelligent, very thorough. And he’s got a competitive edge that I think is demanded at this level. He really wants it, and we’re going to use him in different positions.

“He is a competitor, you watch him in every duel… the way he reacts to his teammates, you speak to him and it’s constant eye contact, he asks questions… it’s a special character.”

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Arsenal fans will be excited to see a talented player with a great mentality emerge as their youth academy continues to produce quality all-round footballers.

Bukayo Saka is by far the biggest success story of recent times in that regard. He captained the team at the Etihad Stadium, but even players like Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah, who have since left the club, played decent first-team games and should have good careers in the Premier League.