Myles Lewis-Skelly’s England debut was another proud moment for the Arsenal academy.
The Hale End youth system has produced many talented footballers over the years, although few are granted the opportunity to play for their national team.
Thomas Tuchel selected Lewis-Skelly in his inaugural England squad last week, and the teenager repaid the faith shown in him by the German by scoring in his first international appearance.
The teenager was played in beautifully by Jude Bellingham before slotting past the Albania goalkeeper, with this goal setting the tone for an impressive showing from the starlet in the Three Lions shirt.
It’s rare that a player develops at Arsenal and makes their England debut while still at the club, and with that in mind, here are the last six to do it prior to Lewis-Skelly’s crowning moment on Friday night.
Eddie Nketiah
Eddie Nketiah left Arsenal for Crystal Palace last summer, and the way in which the move has unfolded for the striker means he’s nowhere near the England squad at the present moment.
However, as recently as August 2023, the number nine received his first international call-up from Gareth Southgate.
Not featuring on the pitch in his first camp, Nketiah did make his debut in October of that year in his second, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute in a friendly against Australia.
This was his first and last England cap to date.
Emile Smith Rowe
Similarly to Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe is low in the pecking order for England now, with Tuchel having a whole host of options at his disposal that would be picked ahead of the Fulham man.
Nevertheless, Smith Rowe was once considered one of the nation’s brightest young talents and was called up to the senior squad in November 2021.
Like Lewis-Skelly, the creative midfielder earned his first cap against Albaniam replacing Raheem Sterling in the 77th minute of a World Cup qualifier.
He’d then score in his in his second cap in a 10-0 win over San Marino, but his international appearance tally has since stalled at three.
Bukayo Saka
Undoubtedly Arsenal’s best and most impactful England player for some time, Bukayo Saka was first called up by his country in October 2020, making his debut in a 3-0 win over Wales that month.
He’s since gone on to make 43 appearances for the Three Lions, scoring 12 goals.
Featuring in the last three major tournaments, the winger has three World Cup goals and one Euros strike to his name, and he’ll be looking to build on this when he starts for England next summer in North America.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Many will forget that Ainsley Maitland-Niles played for England, but the versatile Hale End graduate actually had a brief spell as the national team’s first-choice left-sided defender.
After an exceptional run as a left-wing-back in Mikel Arteta’s FA Cup-winning team at Arsenal, Southgate called Maitland-Niles up to start in this position in September 2020, due to injuries to the likes of Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell.
He made his debut against Denmark that month, and made four more appearances for the Three Lions before he began to fall out of favour at Arsenal, and hasn’t been in the picture for international recognition since.
Jack Wilshere
Arsenal didn’t have an England debutant on their books that emerged through their own academy for ten years, with Jack Wilshere earning his first cap almost exactly a decade before Maitland-Niles did.
While the likes of Calum Chambers, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all made their first international appearance whilst plying their trade in N5, none of them were developed on North London soil.
Fabio Capello gave Wilshere his first cap in August 2010, with the midfielder replacing Steven Gerrard in the 83rd minute of a match against Hungary.
The injury-plagued playmaker would go on to earn 34 caps for the Three Lions, representing his country at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.
Kieran Gibbs
Like Maitland-Niles, many may forget that Kieran Gibbs played for England, particularly given that he was competing with Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines for a spot.
The left-back actually made his debut in the same game as Wilshere in 2010 against Hungary, coming on as a half-time substitute for Ashley Cole.
He then endured a two-year hiatus from the squad due to injuries, returning under Roy Hodgson and finishing his England career with ten caps.
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