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Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly is continuing to put in good performances, much to the delight of Declan Rice.
It appears we have another gem on our hands, Arsenal fans.
Teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly is another Hale End product that is following in the footsteps of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe by bursting onto the scene and looking supremely comfortable at the level.
Initially played due to necessity with Arsenal's defensive injuries, Lewis-Skelly's performances have been so good that Mikel Arteta has kept the faith and started the teenager over Riccardo Calafiori in the last few games.
His latest superb display against Ipswich Town saw Myles often invert infield and demanded the ball. His physicality was on show multiple times, too as he wasn't afraid to get into challenges and get dirty—something not all teenagers do at the elite level.
Such was Myles' performance, midfielder Declan Rice had high praise for his young teammate.
“He can go to the top, this kid is just special, very special,” Rice said via arsenal.com. “For an 18-year-old to be that good, that comfortable, that strong – it was like he was built in a lab! I said that to him the other day, it’s just ridiculous how good he is, but he has a long way to go. He’s so level-headed, he’s got a great family around him, I know his mum looks after him really well and all the boys at the training ground do too."
While Lewis-Skelly's rise to starter has bene nothing short of superb, there is still a lot of work to do if he is to maintain this level.
Of course, it would be naive to think that Myles has now nailed down the starting left-back role, but thus far, he's been keeping Calafiori on the bench, which is a big statement in itself.
There will be ups and downs as the year goes on, but Rice is confident the teenager can get to where he wants to go.
“We have a really good crop of youngsters coming through and he can be what he wants to be, he just needs to stay focused and always want more and he can do that,” Rice added.
With the Gunners not in action until New Year's Day against Brentford, Lewis-Skelly will get a nice break having been thrust into the starting side and will have time to take stock of what has been a rather busy period.
Will he start against the Bees? Well, he has to, doesn't he?