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Myles Lewis-Skelly has been one of Arsenal’s most impressive players this season.
The 20-year-old finally got an opportunity in central midfield in the final weeks of the last campaign, and he grabbed it with both hands. He has been nearly flawless since.
However, against Lille, Lewis-Skelly had to move back to left-back because Riccardo Calafiori needed a break and Piero Hincapie was out injured.
That raised a few doubts in Mikel Arteta’s mind before the game.
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Myles Lewis-Skelly broke into Arsenal’s first team as a left-back, even though he was educated as a central midfielder in the academy.
The youngster, who was only 18 at the time, was absolutely incredible in that role, so much so that he kept Calafiori out of the side, even in the big games.
Lewis-Skelly played and impressed in huge games like the ones against Real Madrid and Manchester City. Many people felt that he would remain a full-back forever.
However, the Englishman is far better in his central midfield role, and the fact that he has only played in that position for a few months makes him the better fit there.
That is why Arteta had doubts about moving Lewis-Skelly back to left-back in the Champions League clash against Lille on Tuesday night. But the youngster was flawless.
Arteta said, as per Arsenal.com: “We just discussed that a few days ago because we had a doubt that when a player is in such a good moment, playing a certain position, changing him is not ideal.
“But we had an injury with Piero, and we knew that at some point we were going to need it with the schedule that we have. He responded incredibly well.
“I think he had a big performance the other night, and that shows you his maturity, the capacity to adapt, the intelligence of the player. He’s in a really good moment.”
Lewis-Skelly’s brilliant start to the season has given Arteta a good headache in midfield.
Arsenal spent a fortune on signing Bruno Guimaraes in the summer, and the Brazilian has shown his class by scoring match-winning goals against Sunderland and Leeds United.
However, as things stand, Lewis-Skelly is ahead of Guimaraes in the pecking order because of his brilliant performances in the middle of the park.
With both players in great form, Arteta will lose some sleep while deciding who to start in Arsenal’s next game. But this is a good headache to have.