One moment v Bournemouth proves why £32m Arsenal star should now be very worried by Myles Lewis-Skelly

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Myles Lewis-Skelly is one of the most promising talents in the Arsenal academy, and he impressed in the opening pre-season friendly of the USA tour.

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Bournemouth to kick off their pre-season campaign, with Fabio Vieira scoring, and there were several strong performers across the team.

Hale End Academy stars Ethan Nwaneri, Ayden Heaven, Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand and Lewis-Skelly started, and all four impressed.

Lewis-Skelly was excellent as a left-back in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Leyton Orient prior to the tour, and he continued in this role.

Not only was the teenager impressive on the ball, he was also strong defensively, and this does not bode well for Oleksandr Zinchenko at Arsenal.

Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed defensively in Arsenal draw vs Bournemouth

Lewis-Skelly is a midfielder by trade, but he also impressed defensively against Bournemouth, with one tackle particularly standing out.

The 17-year-old was fierce in the duel, and he coped well against a physical opponent in Philip Billing. With the Bournemouth midfielder powering through to attack the Arsenal box, Lewis-Skelly tracked him perfectly, before winning the ball with remarkable strength and composure.

Although he has been playing away from his natural position, Lewis-Skelly has proven that he is an exceptional talent who deserves to be in the first-team sooner rather than later.

Myles Lewis-Skelly can replace Oleksandr Zinchenko in Arsenal squad

With Riccardo Calafiori joining, Arsenal now have a plethora of left-backs to pick from, and this could mean Zinchenko departs this summer.

Zinchenko is an almost-unique profile in the first-team squad, as an inverted left-back who can also play in midfield, and offers a lot on the ball going forward. However, he was criticised for his defensive ability last season.

If he does depart, Calafiori and Jurrien Timber can take his minutes, but if a like-for-like replacement is needed in profile, then Mikel Arteta should look no further than Lewis-Skelly.

The midfielder has shown that he has both the technical ability, as well as the defensive ruggedness, to be able to replace the £32m signing from Manchester City in the long term.

His long-term midfielder may be in midfield, but like Bukayo Saka and Ainsley Maitland-Niles before him, Lewis-Skelly’s best chance of breaking into the first-team in the coming years may be through offering a different profile at left-back.