Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal weren’t sure whether to return Myles Lewis-Skelly to left-back, but the manager is delighted with the player’s response.
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Myles Lewis-Skelly made his breakthrough to the Arsenal first-team as a left-back, but the youngster’s youth career was almost entirely composed of appearances in midfield, and it seemed inevitable that he’d end up back in the middle eventually.
So it was no real surprise to see Lewis-Skelly starting centrally in the early stages of 2026/27, and he earned plenty of praise for his displays in the position.
Yet the 20-year-old ended up back at left-back on Tuesday, following an injury to Piero Hincapie, and Mikel Arteta told the media it was a decision they didn’t take lightly.
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“We just discussed that a few days ago because we had a doubt that when a player is in such a good moment, playing a certain position, changing him is not ideal,” Arteta admitted.
“But we had an injury with Piero, and we knew that at some point we were going to need it with the schedule that we have.
“He responded incredibly well. I think he had a big performance the other night, and that shows you his maturity, the capacity to adapt, the intelligence of the player. He’s in a really good moment.”
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If everyone is fit, Arsenal don’t need Lewis-Skelly at left-back. Riccardo Calafiori is one of the best in the world in the position, and the alternative is another fantastic option in Hincapie.
But Calafiori’s fitness is not something Arsenal have been able to rely upon consistently, and Hincapie is now out of action for a few weeks.
The odds that Calafiori could get through the rest of the month playing every weekend and midweek without a setback weren’t great, so Arteta needed someone else to fill in.
Thankfully, Lewis-Skelly now has a bit of an education at full-back to fall back on, and Arsenal are lucky that the England international is willing to adapt for the good of the team.
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