Lewis-Skelly excelled for Arsenal as he feared ‘looking soft’ in front of grandma
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Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly has said he was determined to impress on his north London derby debut because he did not want to “look soft” in front of his grandmother. Lewis-Skelly, 18, became Arsenal’s youngest player to start against Tottenham in two decades, since Cesc Fàbregas, and the left-back turned in an eye-catching display at the Emirates to help his side secure a 2-1 comeback win.
Lewis-Skelly made his first appearance for Arsenal as a late substitute against Manchester City in September and has started seven of the club’s past nine matches. He told Optus Sport: “My mum, my grandma, my friends [were at the game]. And I had to put on a show for my grandma, to make sure that I did not look soft in front of her. I had to make sure I was winning my tackles for her, and hopefully she is proud of me.
“The match was amazing, and everything that lived up to my dreams. I couldn’t believe it. I just had to take in every moment and every second. Honestly, it was amazing, and it is moments like this that we live for.”. Lewis-Skelly, like Bukayo Saka, is a product of the club’s Hale End academy. Declan Rice described Lewis-Skelly’s performance against Spurs as “scary”, “ridiculous” and “unbelievable” and Arteta was also effusive in his praise of the Islington teenager, who played as a midfielder in the youth set-up.
“He was ready very early and in a different position,” the manager said. “He has never played as a full-back before, but is a joy to watch. It’s very rare to see an 18-year-old against [Dejan] Kulusevski and [Brennan] Johnson in a big London derby for the first time, perform with that composure, with that attitude, and that emotional control.”.
