Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith has said that Myles-Lewis Skelly will get game time this season, despite Mikel Arteta preferring Riccardo Calafiori.
The Gunners come off a Carabao Cup win against Port Vale which saw Myles Lewis-Skelly start his first game this season. The England international’s role at the Emirates has taken a back foot in recent weeks as Riccardo Calafiori has been performing well at left-back.
With Calafiori at left-back and Jurrien Timber at right-back, there hasn’t been any room for Lewis-Skelly to start, despite him being Arteta’s clear number one choice left-back last season with great success.
Former Arsenal star Alan Smith has told Lewis-Skelly that he will get his chance this season despite the start. Smith said to BestBettingSites: “He’s only young. He’ll get his games, definitely. Calafiori has been the number one, but it’s a symptom of a bigger squad, isn’t it, as well? Calafiori was already there. I was looking at Nwaneri, and he’s not going to get so many games with Eze coming in and the like.
“These boys are young, and they’re still learning, and Lewis-Skelly, like Nwaneri, really did burst onto the scene. Great talents, great teenagers, but there’s no real need to rush. He’ll get his games, but obviously not as an automatic starter.”
Lewis-Skelly is no longer the first choice at Arsenal
Last year, the England international had a real breakthrough at Arsenal which led to him getting his first England call-up from Thomas Tuchel in March. He also signed a new contract last year keeping him at the Emirates for the long-term.
Lewis-Skelly made 39 appearances for Arsenal last season, including 23 in the Premier League. He also managed to score one goal, and provide three assists, helping Arsenal to having the best defensive record in the league last year under Arteta.
The 18-year-old will get a chance this year, but the impressive performances of Calafiori has kept Lewis-Skelly out of the starting XI for now.
