Mikel Arteta could soon have his own version of Kobbie Mainoo on his hands at Arsenal

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Arsenal have had an interesting start to this Premier League season.

The Gunners have won two of their first three games, and there have been some mixed performances in there.

Arsenal narrowly beat Manchester United on the opening day of the season, while the Gunners dominated Leeds the next week.

However, a loss to Liverpool at the weekend set some alarm bells ringing, and as we head into the international break, it’s a good chance to analyse this Arsenal side.

One interesting trend heading into this season has been the lack of minutes for Myles Lewis-Skelly this term so far, and that is a trend that Mikel Arteta needs to be wary of.

Myles Lewis-Skelly isn’t playing as much this season

Of course, it’s still early days for the 2025/26 season, but, so far, it’s been impossible not to notice that Myles Lewis-Skelly hasn’t been playing as much this year.

Lewis-Skelly is yet to start a game this season, while he’s only played 44 minutes in two appearances off the bench so far.

Rio Ferdinand has raised concerns about Lewis-Skelly’s lack of minutes.

With Piero Hincapie arriving and adding more depth at left-back, Lewis-Skelly’s minutes may be reduced even further.

At the age of just 19, Lewis-Skelly doesn’t necessarily have to start every week, but this is a step backwards from last season where he was a regular in the team from December onwards.

Myles Lewis-Skelly could emulate Kobbie Mainoo

Lewis-Skelly earned huge praise last season after a breakout campaign, but now, he’s finding himself on the bench more and more.

This is a very similar situation to Kobbie Mainoo’s current position at Old Trafford.

Indeed, Mainoo was pushing to leave Manchester United this summer due to his lack of minutes after a breakout season.

Mainoo feels he is good enough to star in the Premier League, and he wants to preserve his England chances too.

Lewis-Skelly is in a similar boat, he’s had a taste of international football, but he wasn’t named in the latest England squad, perhaps due to his lack of minutes this season.

The teenager has only recently signed a new contract with Arsenal, so this isn’t likely to be an issue in the immediate future, but if Arteta can’t find a place for Lewis-Skelly in his XI soon, don’t be surprised if he starts itching to get minutes elsewhere.