Arsenal are suffering from a number of injuries in midfield, with Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny all absent from the squad against Brighton.
The trio are currently injured, with Jorginho picking up a foot injury in training, and Declan Rice started at the base of midfield.
Whilst this is far from ideal for Mikel Arteta, this did mean some of Arsenal’s talented youth players gained another opportunity to join the matchday squad, and youth midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly was named on the bench.
This meant that the 17-year-old achieved something very few Arsenal players have managed.
Myles Lewis-Skelly matches Wilshere and Saka
Arsenal youth expert Jeorge Bird has now revealed that Lewis-Skelly’s inclusion in a Premier League matchday squad is all the more remarkable given his status as a first-year academy graduate within Hale End.
“It seems almost normal but it shouldn’t be overlooked how big an achievement it is for Lewis-Skelly to be named in a Premier League matchday squad when he is still technically a first year,” he posted on X.
“Wilshere and Saka only ones to do it in recent years. Nwaneri featured as a schoolboy.”
Opportunities for Arsenal’s youngsters
Arteta came in for criticism after Tuesday’s Champions League draw with PSV Eindhoven, as he did not bring many youth players with him for a dead rubber tie, and despite having three on the bench, he did not given them a single minute.
It was highly unlikely that Lewis-Skelly would have come on against Brighton yesterday, but his presence on the bench would have been a valuable one for the teenager.
Several Arsenal youngsters have trained with the first team, and being part of the dressing room and matchday squad for the club currently top of the Premier League could aid their development.
Lewis-Skelly is regarded as one of the best prospects in the academy right now. A centre-midfielder who also operates at the base, he came in as a replacement for Jorginho on the bench.
It may be a while before we see these young starlets in action on the pitch, but Arteta has shown them that there is a path to joining the first team, which could help when trying to tie them down to new contracts.
There have been unexpected youth departures in recent years, with Omari Hutchinson joining Chelsea, whilst Charlie Patino was keen on a permanent exit before going on loan, but it seems that Arsenal are confident on holding on to the likes of Lewis-Skelly.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
