'Lewis-Skelly can step on to any stage and perform'

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Former Arsenal defender Matt Upson and ex-England goalkeeper Rob Green have been heaping the praise on Gunners academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly, saying that the 19-year-old "didn't look out of place at all" against Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made the call to stick with Lewis-Skelly in midfield, in what was just his second start in that position for the first team.

"Everything I hear about this lad isn't about the footballer he is but about the character he has," Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily. "I hear really positive things about him being able to cope in really tough situations.

"He has a clear ability to rationalise things and deliver at every single level.

"It's exactly why he has already slipped into international football. You've got to have something a little bit special to be able to do that at his age.

"He has an amazing attitude and belief system, while also being able to absorb information. He is also just a genuinely nice person who wants to do well for himself and see the club doing well.

"When all of that is in the mix, you get a player who can step on to any stage and perform like he did against Atletico Madrid. He didn't look out of place at all."

Green added: "You have to give credit to Arteta in this instance too. He recognised it was a big game, big pressure, big players - and he made the call to keep £60m signing Martin Zubimendi on the bench.

"It was interesting he picked that specific moment for Lewis-Skelly. It might have been because something clicked in training or because of a gut instinct - whatever it was, it paid off."

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