Miles Lewis-Skelly was handed a rare starting role by Mikel Arteta as Arsenal fended off Brighton’s challenge in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, and the youngster has given an update.
Arsenal youngster Miles Lewis-Skelly is determined to make it as difficult as possible for Mikel Arteta to leave him out of future line-ups. The teenager made his breakthrough last season, earning his first England call-up in the process, but has found it difficult to get game time this season.
Lewis-Skelly has so far played just 85 minutes in the Premier League, all from the bench, as Riccardo Calafioli has made the left-back position his own. However, he has more opportunities to play in cup competitions, starting twice in the Champions League and twice in the Carabao Cup.
Against Brighton on Wednesday, Lewis-Skelly set up Ethan Nwaneri’s opening goal before Bukayo Saka added a second to propel the Gunners into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. After that win, he emphasized his desire to become an unstoppable force under Arteta.
“I’m enjoying this season,” Lewis Skelly said. “It’s a different experience for me and I’m not playing as much now, but I’m enjoying being part of the team. It’s important to compete for places and I’m a competitive person, so I’m never going to back down. I’m enjoying the challenge. It’s a pleasure to be with these players.”
“The standards are high and everyone wants to play. The level is very high this season, so there are not many spots available, but we have to compete. At the end of the day, I just want to express myself. Football is something I like and I don’t make excuses about whether I play or not. I just want to go out there and express myself. As long as I do that, I’m giving the manager a choice.”
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Lewis Skelly wasn’t the only academy talent to impress on Wednesday. Max Dauman and Andre Harriman-Annus were both handed starting spots by Arteta, who praised them both.
“To be fair, it was a very special night. I’m very happy for a lot of different reasons,” Arteta said after the win against Brighton. “Obviously we are in the quarter-finals and won a game against a really tough opponent.
“We made 10 changes and played with players who have never played together before, but it was two big debuts for Max and Andre. That feeling of giving someone a chance and making a dream come true is unique. I’m very happy that things went in such a positive direction and that we were able to win the game.”
Arsenal’s next match is against Burnley in the Premier League. They will then face another newly promoted side, Sunderland, at the Stadium of Light, with a Champions League trip to Slavia Prague in between.
Given the speed of Lewis-Skelly’s rise, it’s easy to forget that it’s been less than a year since he started his first Premier League game. That same month, in December 2024, he made his first Champions League start, playing for over an hour in the 3-0 win against Monaco.
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