Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn says Myles Lewis-Skelly must “keep pushing” himself to be a better player after a “difficult” campaign for the Gunners
The 19-year-old looked poised to become the club’s left-back for many years to come after a breakthrough season, but he has fallen down the pecking order in recent months. Winterburn, who played the exact same position as Lewis-Skelly for the Gunners, said the teenager has to find his inner drive to get back into the starting lineup:
Most Read on Gooner News
“He’s just got to keep working to push himself, hopefully get enough game time that he can see himself getting back to the levels that he was at last season.”
“I think it’s also difficult for a young player that when you’ve played a lot of football, then you get left out. You keep coming in and out of the team a little bit.”
“You’re not getting as much game time as you want. But the drive’s got to be there from within. You’ve got to keep pushing yourself. And there’s no doubt in my mind that we will see a lot more of Myles Lewis-Skelly.”
Where have things gone wrong for Lewis-Skelly?
Competition for places has really limited the defender’s development. Riccardo Calafiori (who had an injury hit first year at the Emirates) is very much the first choice and the Italian’s availability has increased.
Piero Hincapie was also brought in from Bayer Leverkusen, and the Ecuadorian’s presence has definitely not helped Lewis-Skelly in terms of playing opportunities
To be fair to manager Mikel Arteta, though, the youngster has started six Champions League fixtures, as well as 4 times in the domestic cups, so he hasn’t been starved of minutes, but the fact that he has made the first eleven just once in the Premier League tells its own story.
The Arsenal defender needs to work on his game
Lewis-Skelly hasn’t been particularly great defensively this campaign, and his lack of concentration has been pointed out as an issue.
Some of that is down to the fact that he was formally a midfielder. Winterburn suggests that he may switch to his original position in the future, but that seems unlikely, as there is even more competition in the middle of the park.
A lot now depends on Lewis-Skelly himself. If he can improve certain aspects of his game, Arteta is likely to show more trust in him going forward.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here