Mikel Arteta acknowledged he may have erred in not playing Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield earlier, stating the teenager deserved his recent chance.
Key points
Mikel Arteta admits possible mistake regarding Lewis-Skelly
Arteta believes Lewis-Skelly deserved more playing time
Lewis-Skelly plays in midfield
Arteta acknowledges the teenager's recent opportunity
Mentioned in this story
Mikel Arteta
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Arteta admits he may have made wrong decision on Lewis-Skelly
Arteta admits he may have made wrong decision on Lewis-Skelly
Mikel Arteta has admitted he perhaps should have played Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield sooner, adding that the teenager more than earned Saturdayâs opportunity.
Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images
Myles Lewis-Skelly started in midfield for Arsenal against Fulham on Saturday, playing a very positive role in what turned out to be a 3-0 win for the team.
Lewis-Skelly has almost exclusively played as a left-back during his senior career for Arsenal so far, but he was almost always a midfielder during his youth career.
This was a chance to prove he offers something in the middle in the senior game, and itâs a chance the player grasped with both hands.
Speaking afterwards, Mikel Arteta admitted Lewis-Skelly has worked hard to get this opportunity.
Q&A
What did Mikel Arteta say about Myles Lewis-Skelly's playing time?
Mikel Arteta admitted he may have made a wrong decision by not playing Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield sooner.
Why did Arteta believe Lewis-Skelly earned his opportunity?
Arteta stated that Lewis-Skelly more than earned his opportunity to play, indicating his strong performance in training or previous matches.
How has Myles Lewis-Skelly performed recently?
The article suggests that Myles Lewis-Skelly has shown enough promise to warrant more playing time in midfield.
What position does Myles Lewis-Skelly play?
Myles Lewis-Skelly plays as a midfielder.
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âHe fully deserves it,â Arteta said. âIâve been tough on him. He had a spectacular season last year when he jumped into the first team.
âHe had some difficult moments after that, but he stayed very humble, very focused, very aligned with what we wanted to do, and I knew he was ready.
âHeâs been showing in training every day the opportunities that he had to play. Heâs done it and today he really stepped up and I thought he had an incredible performance.â
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
As for why Arteta didnât start Lewis-Skelly in midfield sooner, the Arsenal manager suggested he probably should have.
âBecause probably I donât have a clue and maybe I should have done it earlier, I donât know!â Arteta answered. âBut I have to do things when I believe that the player is ready, the team is ready and the opponent is the right one to play with him in that position.
âWeâve done it today, itâs the first time. It was a big risk because I knew what was going to happen, if he wasnât this great, we would have lost the game. âHow do you play a kid at this age, in this scenario, in a position that he hasnât played all season?â
âI knew that but I had the feeling that it was the right game for him.â
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
In Artetaâs defence, Saturday wasnât actually the first time heâd tried to start Lewis-Skelly in midfield.
Back in February, he selected Lewis-Skelly in midfield with Riccardo Calafiori at left-back for the FA Cup game against Wigan Athletic, only for Calafiori to have to pull out with an injury and Lewis-Skelly to take his place in the defence.
If things had gone differently that day, perhaps we would have seen the Arsenal academy graduate in midfield on a more regular basis in recent months. But thatâs not how it turned out, and Arteta opted not to take the risk again until this weekend.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Lewis-Skellyâs future remains somewhat uncertain, with Sam Dean reporting for The Telegraph that there are âserious doubtsâ over him staying, particularly given the financial incentive to sell a player who represents âpure profitâ in accounting terms.
But if the young midfielder plays like he did on Saturday, itâs hard to justify letting him go, regardless of the money it might bring in.
