During Arsenal’s draw with Liverpool on Sunday, Mikel Arteta appeared to send a clear message to experienced defender Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Recently, Arteta claimed that Zinchenko had a crucial role to play at Arsenal after recovering from one or two niggling injuries.
However, when Jurrien Timber needed to come off owing to a bit of calf tightness and fatigue, Arteta opted for an 18-year-old instead.
Myles Lewis-Skelly came on for the last 20 minutes or so and justified Arteta’s bold decision.
Zinchenko’s days at Arsenal might be numbered as a result, a full-back who perhaps just isn’t good enough at defending.
Ian Wright happy to see Myles Lewis-Skelly scolding Arsenal teammates
That being said, when speaking on the ‘Wrighty’s House’ podcast, Ian Wright sent a clear message to Arteta about Lewis-Skelly’s readiness.
After sharing his opinion that fellow youngster Ethan Nwaneri should have been introduced sooner, Wright also claimed that Lewis-Skelly is ready to play regularly in the first team.
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To justify his claim, Wright pointed to how Lewis-Skelly was confident enough to chastise his Arsenal teammates after Liverpool scored in disappointing fashion to make it 2-2.
Wright said: “I would have put on Nwaneri earlier and I would start looking at Lewis-Skelly on that left side now.
“I would start doing that because I think the more you can play someone like him and the more you can get used to it.
“Like you say, even his reaction to the goal says [that] he’s very comfortable with the people he’s around.
“I’m not saying it because it wasn’t Gabriel Magalhaes, it wasn’t Saliba that he was shouting at because maybe that doesn’t happen if they were playing.
“But he’s got enough confidence to be a first tram player where he can shout like that.
“I believe that they respect him enough to know that, yeah, I don’t mind him shouting at me.”
Lewis-Skelly looking to take his chance against Preson in EFL Cup
Of course, Arsenal’s youngsters will get a chance to prove their worth against Preston North End in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Arteta will surely ring the changes after Arsenal finished their 2-2 draw against Liverpool in beleaguered fashion.
Injuries are already threatening to ruin some of the excellent work achieved early in the season against the likes of Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal’s squad is being well and truly tested right now, to an extent that Arteta may not have fully anticipated.
That being said, Alan Shearer has spotted one signing Arsenal need to make, perhaps even in January.
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