Myles Lewis-Skelly has gone from World Cup snub to starting for England against world champions Spain in a stunning four-month turnaround. The Arsenal midfielder only made his first Premier League start in May, but now he is central to Thomas Tuchel’s plans.
He started alongside Elliot Anderson after Declan Rice pulled out through fitness, with Alex Scott on the bench. His opening minutes were jittery, but he grew into the game and held his own against the best team on the planet.
It is a remarkable rise for the 20-year-old, who was frozen out under Mikel Arteta last season. Calafiori and Hincapie were preferred at left-back, and a central midfield role seemed a world away. A summer sale looked likely when he was sidelined mid-season.
But Arsenal’s title push needed him, and he returned with impact. He started in midfield in a 3-0 win over Fulham on May 2 and has not looked back since. He was superb in the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid and impressed in the final, too.
Tuchel has always liked him. He scored the first goal of the Tuchel era in a 2-0 win over Albania in March 2025. Now, Martin Zubimendi watches from the bench as Lewis-Skelly struts his stuff in midfield.
His first major contribution against Spain was a jittery pass straight to Marc Cucurella — but he recovered and showed composure beyond his years.
The argument doing the rounds is whether Lewis-Skelly is now England’s first-choice midfielder or still a wildcard. Ask any Arsenal supporter and you get one of two answers: either he is the future, or he is still too raw for the big stage.
What is clear is that Tuchel trusts him, and that is all that matters for now.
Source: The Sun
