England manager Thomas Tuchel has "hurt" the Three Lions by not selecting Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly for November's World Cup 2026 qualifiers with Serbia and Albania, expert Charles Watts has exclusively told Sports Mole.
The Hale End graduate was one of the notable absentees from the latest national team squad, which featured the likes of Newcastle United's Dan Burn, Tottenham Hotspur's Djed Spence and Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly ahead of him.
Lewis-Skelly was summoned for October's squad, but his playing situation has not improved since then - he is still waiting for his first Premier League start of the 2025-26 season amid intense competition from the more experienced Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie.
Tuchel has told Lewis-Skelly what he needs to do to force his way back into the national team setup, but Watts believes that the decision to leave him out was a tad harsh and also to England's detriment, as the teenager can offer something unique to the Three Lions.
“The writing seemed on the wall given Tuchel's comments in the last camp," Watts said. "He gave a very public warning to Myles Lewis-Skelly, and his minutes haven't improved since then. I do think it's a little bit harsh, though. It's not like he's not been playing at all – he’s got minutes, and when he's played, he's played very well.
“It’s only a few weeks ago that he ran Atletico Madrid ragged in the Champions League. It’s not like he's out in the cold. He's just not an absolute guaranteed starter. But he's a 19-year-old kid! So he shouldn't really be that.
Thomas Tuchel "hurting" England by snubbing Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly
Charles Watts YouTube image
“You'd have to be very, very special to be starting at a club like Arsenal when you're a 19-year-old. I think it’s potentially hurting Tuchel – he’s making the decision to hurt the team, because looking at the other options on the left-hand, Lewis-Skelly offers you something that others don't and really valuable for this England squad.
“I'd still want him involved in the World Cup. Maybe that's a little bit of Arsenal bias coming through. I'm not overly surprised, but I don't really agree with the decision.”
Lewis-Skelly's rapid rise to fame last season culminated in a first-ever senior England call-up in March, where he made history by becoming the Three Lions' youngest-ever debut scorer in their home victory over Albania.
Lewis-Skelly was just 18 years and 176 days old when he netted his first goal for England - surpassing Marcus Rashford's record of scoring on his debut at 18 years and 209 days - and later that year, he became the youngest English player to start both legs of a Champions League semi-final.
However, the 19-year-old has not even played 90 minutes in total during the 2025-26 Premier League season, and he was also overlooked for a start against Slavia Prague in Arsenal's most recent Champions League match, where Hincapie was given the nod instead.
The benefits of Myles Lewis-Skelly not going to the World Cup
England's Myles Lewis-Skelly pictured in June 2025
An Arsenal legend has told Sports Mole that he has no concerns about Lewis-Skelly's World Cup chances, but while Watts is slightly fearful, he has also highlighted the positives of the left-back potentially not going to North America.
“I am fearful, but he's 19, he's got plenty of World Cups left in him," Watts added. "The only reason we're talking about Lewis-Skelly potentially going to the World Cup is because of such an unbelievable trajectory he had last season that none of us were expecting.
“He was so far ahead of schedule in terms. If he was to miss this one, I'm sure he'd be disappointed, but it's not the end of the world. He will go to a World Cup. He will go to European Championships. That's going to happen because he's that good. You don't have to do it all at 19 years old. That's very, very young.
“Some of the players you're talking about as potential options, how old are some of those? There’s plenty of international tournaments left for Lewis-Skelly to be involved in, so it's not a huge concern, even though I would obviously like it to happen.”
England play their final World Cup 2026 Qualifying home game against Serbia on Thursday night, and even though Lewis-Skelly will not be involved,two Arsenal players are projected to start at Wembley.
> Click here to listen to the full reaction to Lewis-Skelly's England snub
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