Myles Lewis-Skelly has been left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad, and Arsenal fans have had a lot to say about the decision.
The young defender has been somewhat on the periphery of Mikel Arteta’s squad this season, with Riccardo Calafiori seemingly leapfrogging him in the pecking order.
Tuchel warned Lewis-Skelly over the last international break that if he continued not to play regularly at the Emirates then his place in the Three Lions set-up would be under threat.
The German has stuck to his word, omitting the 19-year-old for the likes of Nico O’Reilly and Djed Spence.
Arsenal fans react to Myles Lewis-Skelly’s omission
Lewis-Skelly was excellent in Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid last month, and he has actually featured somewhat regularly for the Gunners recently.
However, he is yet to start a league match for Arteta’s outfit, and this absence from Premier League encounters has clearly been enough for Tuchel to decide that he doesn’t warrant a place in his latest squad.
The England boss has instead selected Manchester City’s O’Reilly as the primary left-back option, while Spence has also made the cut.
Arsenal fans weren’t happy with Tuchel’s decision, and some are now concerned that this omission could prompt Lewis-Skelly to push for a move in January.
One fan wrote on X: “If [Pier] Hincapie is ahead of Lewis-Skelly and he can’t get into midfield I can see him doing a January loan to somewhere like [Crystal] Palace.”
Another added: “No Myles Lewis Skelly for England. I imagine he’ll be very unhappy and will be demanding more game time. Feel for him a little to be honest. He’s been left in the cold.”
One supporter posited: “He’s been getting plenty of minutes and is England’s best fit and available left back. But each to their own!”
Another fan wrote: “That’s it. Leave out your best left back because he’s still fresh. I guess he’s been sitting at home on his Xbox waiting for Arteta to give him a start.”
Meanwhile, one Gunners supporter had a more positive outlook: “We are good with this. We need him for the fixtures after international break.”
Did Myles Lewis-Skelly deserve a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad?
If Tuchel is insistent on implementing a meritocracy for England, then Lewis-Skelly probably didn’t deserve a place in the latest squad.
The left-back has played just 92 minutes of Premier League football this season, while he’s managed just 470 minutes across all competitions.
In comparison, Spence has already played 668 league minutes for Tottenham, while O’Reilly has managed 596 minutes in the English top flight.
That said, Lewis-Skelly’s ability to invert makes him unique to what Tuchel has available. Thus far in his tenure as England manager, the former Chelsea head coach has looked to invert his left-back, and Lewis-Skelly has been excellent at doing this.
Neither O’Reilly nor Spence will be as comfortable doing this, and thus, England could have some stylistic difficulties without the Arsenal man.
That said, with World Cup qualification secured, it’s possible that Tuchel will look to try some different things over the next two fixtures.
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