Man Utd are in the market for a left-back this summer but one of the players they had considered might now prove to be unavailable.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Myles Lewis-Skelly is back in the Arsenal team and back in his favourite position
View Image
It's been quite a week for Arsenal academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly, brought in from the cold to play in his favoured position and delivering two huge performances to put his team on the brink of a Premier League and Champions League double.
In doing so, Lewis-Skelly might have changed the course of his future. Having broken into the Arsenal first-team as a left-back, he had drifted to the periphery of the team this season. With Mikel Arteta favouring physicality at the back, the 19-year-old was behind Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie in that position.
Until the weekend, the Hale End graduate had started just two of the first 34 Premier League games, and had been an unused substitute on 17 occasions. It was little wonder there was speculation about his future.
Click hereto find out the latest Manchester United news in our daily newsletter
Not long ago he looked like becoming Thomas Tuchel's pick as England's left-back, but his fall from favour at the Emirates means he is now unlikely to even go to the World Cup, and his situation had caught the attention of Manchester United, who are in the market for a left-back this summer.
With Tyrell Malacia leaving on a free transfer and Patrick Dorgu often used as a winger, they need competition for Luke Shaw. Lewis-Skelly fits the bill and would have been an opportunistic deal, with Arsenal tempted by selling an academy graduate to raise funds, especially one who couldn't get a game.
But out of nowhere, the teenager who came through the academy as a central midfielder has returned to his favourite position. He started there in the shackle-freeing 3-0 win against Fulham on Saturday, delivering a superb performance as he stood in for the rested Martin Zubimendi.
With the stakes raised against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, it was expected the Spain international would return to the team. Instead, Arteta kept faith with Lewis-Skelly, who was again excellent in a 1-0 win that took Arsenal to the Champions League final.
Arteta's side have three crucial Premier League fixtures left and that Budapest finale against Paris Saint-Germain, and suddenly it looks like Lewis-Skelly has a prominent role to play in the hunt for silverware.
His rapid renaissance has almost certainly ended any chance of following Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven as Arsenal academy graduates who have moved to Old Trafford for a chance of first-team football. Not only is he back in the team, but he is in his preferred position as well.
Lewis-Skelly is one name United can seemingly scrub off the list of left-backs this summer. The transfer window is still more than a month away from opening, but the twists and turns have already begun.