One Arsenal star sent a strong message to Riccardo Calafiori vs Everton – Mikel Arteta agrees

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Arsenal struggled through a 0-0 draw with Everton on matchday 16 of the Premier League season.

For the third consecutive Premier League game, Arsenal failed to score from open play, in what was a testing contest against the Toffees.

Arsenal drew 0-0 with Everton in a game dominated by lacklustre individual performance, with Martin Odegaard having a particularly bad display on a dreary day in N5.

It’s back to the drawing board for Mikel Arteta however, there are some positives for the Arsenal manager to take from the uneventful stalemate.

• READ MORE: Three things you may have missed in Arsenal 0-0 Everton draw including Mikel Arteta’s rollicking

Myles Lewis-Skelly sent Riccardo Calafiori a warning against Everton

On a day that saw Arteta hook Odegaard after an hour for tactical reasons, the Gunners looked sluggish in most areas of the pitch.

One glowing exception was at left-back, as Lewis-Skelly was Arsenal’s best player against Everton, following on from his Champions League masterclass.

After Lewis-Skelly impressed against Monaco, the 18-year-old did the same in the Premier League when Everton visited, barely putting a foot wrong in a confident display.

As seen by his numbers, Lewis-Skelly approached the Premier League clash with confidence and clarity, dominating on the left side and showing many of his teammates how it’s done.

The teen’s rise comes at a particularly good time for Arsenal amid Riccardo Calafiori’s injury however, it could spell bad news for the Italian.

Judging by how the Englishman has played over the previous two fixtures, it would be difficult for Arteta to drop him out of the XI to accommodate Calafiori when he returns.

Such is an additional selection headache for the boss on top of Arsenal’s ongoing injury concerns, with Lewis-Skelly making it clear that he deserves his place in the starting lineup right now.

Mikel Arteta applauded Lewis-Skelly’s performance 

Given Calafiori’s battles with fitness since arriving at Arsenal in the summer, Lewis-Skelly should consider his rise to have come at the perfect time.

It could be a mild concern for the Italy international, who might find himself in a queue for the left-back spot in the starting lineup once he returns.

Arteta hinted that could be the case in his post-match press conference after the Everton draw, as he waxed lyrical about Lewis-Skelly’s form.

“Give him chances,” Arteta said when asked how he plans to develop the teenager.

“If he keeps grabbing them like the way he has done today again because I think he was really good, he will continue to have chances because he deserves them.”

The only way is up for the Hale End graduate, who is taking his chances and not looking back at present, which is a huge positive for those at the Emirates.