Arsenal legend Ian Wright has encouraged Mikel Arteta to turn to Myles Lewis-Skelly again after his disregard in Carabao Cup final vs Manchester City.
After a breakout campaign for club and country last season, Lewis-Skelly has been the forgotten man at Arsenal this season. The 19-year-old has started only one Premier League match who has not made a league appearance since early January.
When Riccardo Calafiori unavailable, Arteta has often turned to Piero Hincapie to fill in at left-back, leaving the teenager third in the position where he excelled a year ago. Lewis-Skelly was overlooked again on Sunday at Wembley, failing to make the bench while watching Nico O’Reilly win the match for City.
This time last year, Lewis-Skelly was playing for Arsenal in their Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid.
Remembering those performances, Wright believes the youngster’s ability to come inside and help build from the back could have turned things around for Arsenal last Sunday and is keen to see him play a more prominent role in the new season.
“I mentioned Myles Lewis-Skelly when he played against Real Madrid last time, he had an incredible game,” Wright told The Overlap.
“Then he’s kind of gone, and I’m thinking in that game, on Sunday, a left-back who can overturn what we need, is someone who’s comfortable on the ball.
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“That’s the game he has to play in, because then he’s somebody who can get the ball, and at least we can connect.”
Asked by Gary Neville about Lewis-Skelly now being third choice, Wright added: “There’s no way, Myles Lewis-Skelly, the way he started his career, he doesn’t have the ability to go on and do… I’m not saying he’s going to do exactly what O’Reilly has done, but certainly now it’s more fair to play than fair.”
“He can’t make the team right now, whether it’s behind Hincapie or whether it’s behind Calafiori. This guy is a football player. We needed a football player on Sunday, and these are the things I’m sitting there watching us do, watching us do nothing.
“I’m thinking to myself, if Arsenal fans saw someone like him come and do a few things, everybody, it spurs us on, it gets people going again. That’s a disappointment for me.’
Lewis-Skelly signed a new long-term contract last year but has been linked with a move to Manchester United as a long-term replacement for Luke Shaw.
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