Roy Keane took a cheeky jab at Arsenal while praising how Myles Lewis-Skelly won the free-kick, which led to Reece James's first-ever goal for England. Lewis-Skelly, 18, was handed his second consecutive start for the Three Lions by Thomas Tuchel in England's 3-0 home victory over Latvia.
Lewis-Skelly, who netted England's first goal against Albania on Friday just 19 minutes into his senior international debut, has had an impressive breakout season and is now establishing himself as a key player under the former Chelsea boss at left-back. Although he didn't score against Latvia, he played a crucial role in setting up James' remarkable goal.
After being challenged by Vladislavs Gutkovskis, Lewis-Skelly felt the contact and went to ground. During the half-time analysis on ITV, Keane acknowledged the teenager's smart play in earning the free-kick.
But while he was doing so, the legendary Manchester United captain claimed he would have learned that skill under Mikel Arteta. When asked if he felt the free-kick was the right decision, the Irishman said: "It was touch and go.
"I think they were clever winning the free-kick. They [Latvia] were slightly unlucky. Although, take nothing away from the free-kick. Lewis-Skelly here... he's obviously learned that well at Arsenal over the years. It's 50-50."
Myles Lewis Skelly in action against Latvia
Keane thought Lewis-Skelly employed some dark arts to win the free-kick leading to England's first goal (Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
When Ian Wright countered: "You get free-kicks for those nowadays", Keane quickly retorted: "It was smart, it was clever." Lewis-Skelly was arguably the standout England player in both matches during the international break. Left-back was identified as an area of weakness for the Three Lions, but the Arsenal defender has staked a firm claim for the position full-time.
After his debut against Albania, Tuchel raved about the teenager's performance. The German said: "He is such an open character.He was amazing in camp. Full of confidence, full of humour. You see everything on the pitch, off the pitch. He does it with a natural confidence. That's how he plays football. Full of courage and quality. He was decisive and opened this game for us."
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 12: Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal FC and PSV at Emirates Stadium on March 12, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Keane credited Arsenal for Lewis-Skelly's clever play before England's first goal (Image: Rob Newell - CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images)
"The second half, he played as an eight, we wanted to take more risks. The first half we played in a 4-1 and 4-1 up front. He played more conventional and scored more up-front.
"He played as a No.8 or 10. I think his best position is where he plays for Arsenal in the left double six, inverted role. If you see him in possession games in training, the quality of first touch, body movement, how he plays the passes is a very high understanding of the game.
"He's very versatile and can do a lot of things. We tried to play more conventional today because there are many players for different clubs."
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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