Myles Lewis-Skelly is a versatile midfielder who has been making waves in the Arsenal academy over the past few seasons. He has quickly earned himself the reputation as one of Arsenal's hottest prospects.
The 17-year-old, who will turn 18 later this month, joined the Arsenal academy back in 2015 and progressed through the age groups at an incredible speed. At just 14, the England youth international made his U18's debut in a 6-1 thrashing of Reading.
Lewis-Skelly scored in that game, becoming one of the youngest ever goalscorer's for the U18's alongside the then 14-year-old Ethan Nwaneri who also found the net in that game.
The midfielder possesses incredible close control and technique and often charges from the heart of midfield with the ball at his feet, taking multiple opposition players out of the game.
Whilst extremely comfortable on the ball, his game is equally impressive out of possession. Lewis-Skelly's positional awareness makes him a formidable defender and he is often on hand to prevent danger.
His impressive versatility means that he can play anywhere across the midfield, whilst he has also been given regular minutes at left-back playing in the Oleksandr Zinchenko role.
In some elements of his game, there are clear parallels between Lewis-Skelly and Jack Wilshere. His ability to drive with the ball at his feet forces moments of brilliance from nothing and there is always a sense of danger when the 17-year-old has the ball at his feet.
Lewis-Skelly is already knocking on the door of the first-team despite his age and was included on the pre-season tour of the USA at the beginning of the season.
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His Journey so far
After joining the Gunners in 2015, Lewis-Skelly made his debut for the U18's in 2021. He scored after coming on as a substitute in a 6-1 victory over Reading.
Fast-forward to the 2022/23 season and the young midfielder had begun to earn consistent minutes for the U18's, as well as making seven appearances for the U21's.
On his first start of the season, Lewis-Skelly impressed in an eight-goal thriller against West Brom. The midfielder assisted the opening goal of the game in the third minute before scoring a 93rd-minute equaliser to level the game at 4-4 and earn a point for the Gunners.
Lewis-Skelly made six appearances in the U18 Premier League that season but some of his best performances came in the FA Youth Cup.
The midfielder played a starring role in Arsenal's charge to the final earning himself three assists across the six matches he was involved in. It was his last-minute goal in extra-time against Manchester City that booked Arsenal's spot in the final of the competition against West Ham.
Although the U18's were defeated in the final, Lewis-Skelly was a standout player in the competition and impressed across the season.
He was rewarded by making the step-up to the U21's for the following season where he became a regular starter in the Premier League 2. The England Youth international looked a natural at that level from day one despite his young age.
The youngster played the majority of the season in defensive midfield but as he moved closer towards first-team action at the end of the season, he did make some appearances at left-back.
Due to his technical ability and defensive awareness, it appears that Lewis-Skelly is being trained in the Oleksandr Zinchenko role, being a left-back that drifts into midfield.
However, Lewis-Skelly continued to show throughout the season that he is more than comfortable anywhere on the pitch. The 17-year-old notched five assists and two goals across the season while playing in a host of competitions.
Lewis-Skelly predominantly featured in the PL2 but also registered appearances in the UEFA Youth League, the EFL Trophy and more.
The midfielder was rewarded for his hard-work by making the first-team squad twice. First in the Champions League against RC Lens and then in the Premier League against Brighton.
Whilst he is yet to make his competitive debut, the midfielder is definitely getting closer and that was highlighted by his involvement on the pre-season tour of USA.
Lewis-Skelly featured in every pre-season game where he continued to develop at left-back.
So far this season, Lewis-Skelly has featured exclusively as a left-back for the U21's suggesting that the club may be looking to make his positional switch permanent.
However, it is worth noting that Bukayo Saka initially broke through as a left-back before earning his spot on the wing. Lewis-Skelly's involvement in the defence may simply be to give him more experience as opposed to something more permanent.
After making the bench against Brighton this season, it surely won't be long until Lewis-Skelly makes his competitive debut for the Gunners.
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Last-gasp Heroics
Lewis-Skelly has had an extremely impressive rise through the Arsenal youth system and to narrow his success down to one key-moment would be almost impossible.
Instead, his growth is due to determination and consistent hard work. And of course a large helping of talent.
However, you can pinpoint the moment where Arsenal fans as a whole were introduced to Lewis-Skelly. For this you would have to go back to April 2023 and to the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup.
Arsenal were playing Manchester City with Lewis-Skelly starting in midfield. A close-fought game where Arsenal had both a goal and a man advantage for the majority of the game had somehow found itself in extra-time at 1-1.
It had been a high-intensity game but almost two hours of playing on the huge Emirates pitch had left the game stretched and edging towards a penalty shoot-out.
But with practically the last kick of the game, Lewis-Skelly made a darting run, breaking the lines of the City defence. It was an inch-perfect pass by Bradley Ibrahim and Lewis-Skelly was able to climb the highest in the air and nod the ball into an empty net.
As the midfielder wheeled off to celebrate in front of the Emirates crowd, the Arsenal fans both at home and in the stadium had found a new young star to keep an eye on.
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Pathway to the first team
This season feels like it will finally be the moment for Lewis-Skelly to make his debut in an Arsenal shirt.
Along with a select handful of youngsters, Lewis-Skelly appears to be in Mikel Arteta's plans for this season. At the very least you would expect the midfielder to feature on the bench.
Based on his recent performances, it seems likely that he would begin life at the Emirates in the left-back position in the specialist role often performed by Zinchenko.
With Arsenal drawing Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup third round, Arteta may choose to hand opportunities to players such as Lewis-Skelly.
Arsenal will expect a busy year this season with the desire to go far into every competition. This could provide the perfect window for Lewis-Skelly to potentially break into the first team.
If Arteta does not deem him ready for the first-team yet then a January loan move could be on the cards. At the age of 17, Lewis-Skelly already looks comfortable in the U21's and would benefit from the step-up to regular first-team football.
No matter what happens in his time at Arsenal, Lewis-Skelly looks set to have an amazing career at the top level.
Arsenal fans will hope that Lewis-Skelly can follow in the footsteps of Bukayo Saka and become a key feature of the Arsenal squad for many years to come.
