Was Thierry Henry Right About Myles Lewis-Skelly?

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Myles Lewis-Skelly
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Chensiyuan | Wikipedia - CC BY-SA 4.0)

Myles Lewis-Skelly might have hit form at just the right time for England. Thomas Tuchel doesn’t have a clear outstanding candidate to pick at left-back. But Thierry Henry thinks Lewis-Skelly’s future lies elsewhere: in midfield. The former Arsenal great recently argued on Sky Sports that the Englishman has skills that Martin Zubimendi doesn’t.

Arsenal’s Stacked Options at Left-Back

Mikel Arteta has Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie, and Lewis-Skelly (as well as Jurrien Timber when needed) to choose from at left-back. Timber has often been used this season, partly due to his versatility, and started almost as many games as centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba.

Neither Calafiori or Hincapie are the most creative full-back in the world: assists have generally had to come from higher up the pitch and players like Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Declan Rice.

Calafiori and Hincapie have climbed ahead of Lewis-Skelly in the pecking order, but the young player might have a brighter future in midfield. Many fans and pundits have been critical of Zubimendi in his first season at the club, and Lewis-Skelly offers a more aggressive, high-intensity option.

Lewis-Skelly in Midfield


Against Fulham in May, Rice played a little deeper in midfield and Lewis-Skelly played as a similarly all-action partner. Henry said he wouldn’t mind if Lewis-Skelly started the Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, ahead of Zubimendi. But he would understand if Arteta opted for Zubimendi to find a bit more security, given the “magnitude of the game”. In the end, Lewis-Skelly played and achieved an 89.8% pass completion rate, while also playing some notable balls forward.

Tuchel may be tempted to play Lewis-Skelly at left-back even if he has played more recent minutes in midfield. Arsenal players have had the longest campaign of any of those who will be called up by Tuchel, as the Champions League final is the last game of the club season. But they will still have 11 days before the World Cup opener between South Africa and co-hosts Mexico. Fans interested in sports betting in South Africa may be disappointed to see Bofana Bofana are considered underdogs.

Lewis-Skelly will have competition from another midfielder-stroke-full-back in Nico O’Reilly, who started England’s friendly against Japan (a 1-0 loss). In the previous game against Uruguay, Tuchel chose Djed Spence, who has often played out of position on the left for Tottenham. But O’Reilly is favourite to start there; four out of six The Athletic writers chose the Manchester City player when asked to pick their England starting XI for the summer.

Lewis-Skelly’s Strengths

He made his first 69 senior appearances at left-back, but Lewis-Skelly played in midfield in Arsenal’s academy teams. This term, he struggled to earn a place in the league until the spring, partly due to Hincapie arriving at the club last year. When asked why it had taken so long to play the Englishman in midfield, Arteta said, “Probably I don’t have a clue”. The manager admitted he had been tough on Lewis-Skelly, who had been “consistent in his behaviours” and earned the right to play.

Rice and Lewis-Skelly have played “in different heights”, to use the Arsenal phrase, as noted by writer Art de Roché. At times, Lewis-Skelly has dropped as the deepest midfielder, and at others Rice has helped the build up from between Saliba and Gabriel. When Lewis-Skelly is a little higher, his progressive passing can be seen, as when he found players like Odegaard in advanced positions against Atletico.

The pair can take turns bursting forward, in somewhat of a similar fashion to an old-school 4-4-2 central midfield pairing. Rice went forward more against Atletico, but Lewis-Skelly is well capable of covering ground and creating chances. Henry praised Lewis-Skelly’s lung-busting game, saying it’s tricky for opposition players when they feel someone is “there all the time”.

Lewis-Skelly’s Early Start

Lewis-Skelly is still early in his career. He and players like Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo seem like they have been around for a long time, but they are just 19 and 21 years old. If Lewis-Skelly continues his progression in midfield, the pair could accompany Rice (still only 27) in England’s midfield for many years.

After the FA Youth Cup semi-final in 2023, former youth coach Jack Wilshere said he doubted Lewis-Skelly would be a left-back – he would be a midfielder. Arteta saw qualities in possession and an ability to drift infield, like Oleksandr Zinchenko had done, as a way to fit Lewis-Skelly into the team. But it seems his time in midfield has come. We will have to wait to see whether England reap the rewards.