Myles Lewis-Skelly has reclaimed his England World Cup spot, but not in defence
talksport.com · 3 months ago
Myles Lewis-Skelly has to be among England’s midfield options at the World Cup – his performance in the Champions League proved this. That is the view of talkSPORT’s Angelina Kelly, who has tipped the youngster for a Three Lions recall after his display alongside Declan Rice in Arsenal’s European semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid. GettyMyles Lewis-Skelly made just his 16th start of the season against Atletico Madrid[/caption] The Gunners reached their first Champions League final since 2006 with a 1-0 aggregate win over Atletico on Tuesday. Midfield maestro? In what was arguably the greatest night of the Emirates era, academy graduate Lewis-Skelly played a key role in the triumph, who impressed after being handed a rare start in midfield by Mikel Arteta. Though a natural midfielder, this was just his second start in the role for the first-team, having made a name for himself at left-back. Meanwhile, Lewis-Skelly’s surprise inclusion saw him brought in from the cold after a challenging season, which has seen his playing time limited after falling behind Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie in the left-back pecking order. The Gunners starlet enjoyed breakthrough year in 2024/25, making 26 starts and 39 appearances in total for Arteta‘s side. His impressive displays earned him a first senior England call-up in March 2025, and he marked his debut with an historic goal in a 2-0 win over Albania – Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge. Having been named in four of the German‘s first five Three Lions squads, the 19-year-old looked set to be starting left-back at this summer’s World Cup, but he is now yet to be called up since October after a bit-part role at Arsenal this season. Man for the job After impressing in back-to-back starts in midfield against Fulham and Atletico, Lewis-Skelly has earned widespread praise, as well as calls for him to feature more regularly in the position. No one is more keen for this than talkSPORT presenter Kelly, who has backed him to return to the England fold as a midfield option. Staking her claim on Fiery Friday’s, Kelly began: “Myles Lewis-Skelly needs to be in England’s World Cup squad. To date, Lewis-Skelly has been capped six times by EnglandGetty The youngster has partnered Declan Rice to great effect in midfield in Arsenal’s last two gamesGetty “He was in Tuchel’s plans years ago, he started at left back first game against Albania, scored the first goal of Tuchel’s reign in that game. “I admit it hasn’t gone completely gone to plan this season, he was picked for the first couple of camps in the autumn, lost his Arsenal starting spot to Calafiori, lost his spot with the national team, which rightly so, because seats are hot, you’ve got to be playing. “But he’s come back into the Arsenal side in midfield and immediately has been brilliant alongside Declan Rice, the 3-0 win over Fulham, the 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.” Continuing to argue Lewis-Skelly’s case, Kelly insisted his partnership with Rice in Arsenal’s midfield in their last two games make him the ideal back-up choice for England. Ballon d’Or contender Rice is a shoe-in to start at the World Cup, and is expected to be paired with Elliot Anderson in a midfield two. But Kelly believes Lewis-Skelly is the best of the rest, as she continued: “Speaking of Declan Rice, surely getting the best out of him in England’s midfield is important. Elliot Anderson is expected to line up alongside Rice for England at the World CupGetty “Elliot Anderson has stepped up this season and I think he’s proved himself to be a good partner for Rice. “But, and I’m not trying to tempt fate here, if Anderson gets injured during the World Cup, who would you want to replace him and play alongside Rice? “You’ve got 36-year-old Jordan Henderson, Adam Wharton, who in my opinion hasn’t really impressed for England when given the chance. “Or would you rather have a player who literally just started a Champions League semi-final with Rice, an
