‘It’s no surprise to me’ – Rice hails Lewis-Skelly for ‘keeping his head down’

‘It’s no surprise to me’ – Rice hails Lewis-Skelly for ‘keeping his head down’

Declan Rice praised the way Myles Lewis-Skelly has “kept his head down and worked hard” despite not playing as regularly as he did last season.

Lewis-Skelly started alongside Rice in midfield in the Champions League semi-final second leg win over Atletico Madrid as Arsenal progressed to the final.

“We’ve always known what Myles can do,” Rice told Amazon Prime. “Last year he played so many games and when he stepped up at Real Madrid away at the Bernabeu at 18, it’s when I really thought wow, we have a player.

“Our manager this year has been tough on him behind the scenes. He’s not played as much as he would have wanted but what I’ve noticed with him is he’s kept his head down and worked so hard.

“I’m not just saying that. He does everything right every day. In early, training, gym, now he’s got his chance and he’s ready, he’s taken it and to be thrown in at the deep end, the semi-final of the Champions League and perform how he did is no surprise to me. He’s so good.”

Stay up to date with all the latest Arsenal news by joining our Arsenal WhatsApp channel.

Arsenal also lead the Premier League with three games remaining, and Rice says years of hard work has built up to this moment.

“I think where this club has come from over the last few years and what we’ve been building. The narrow losses we’ve had in the Premier League, going out of cup competitions, things that hurt you as a player,” he explained.