Myles Lewis-Skelly gives Arsenal even more evidence that he was wasted in defence

Now that the longest international break in history is almost over, which Arsenal players in action for their countries helped stake a claim for more regular club minutes? Well, the obvious answer is Viktor Gyökeres, who scored in all four of Sweden's UEFA Nations League matches, despite being yet to get off the mark for Arsenal in this campaign.

Meantime, we'd also like to throw Myles Lewis-Skelly into the mix. With Declan Rice left out of the England squad by Thomas Tuchel, given time to rest and recuperate after a gruelling 12 months, there was always going to be opportunities for other midfield candidates to stake a claim.

Elliot Anderson started all four matches, partnered by Alex Scott as the Three Lions demolished Croatia 7-0 at Stadion Rujevica last weekend. In the other three game though, it was Myles Lewis-Skelly who got the nod.

The 20 year old last 70 minutes against Spain, replaced at half time in Prague, before completing the full 90 when Czech Republic were swatted aside at Wembley on Tuesday, albeit a yellow card means he will be suspended for Croatia's visit to Northwest London in November.

Lewis-Skelly particularly impressed during the first game of the window, holding his own against Spain's imperious midfield trio of Rodri, Fabián Ruiz and Dani Olmo. Across the three starts, he completed 93% of his 133 passes, touched the ball 161 times and won 13 ground duels.

England fans got a taste of the Lewis-Skelly expirence. A young man who is not afraid to take the ball in tight areas and, just as it looks as though he is set to be dispossessed, he pulls out the trademark Myles manoeuvre to drive into midfield away from his marker. Having not been at the World Cup in the summer, he has certainly forced his way back into Tuchel's plans, with a game against Spain in Madrid, followed by a two-legged Nations League quarter-final in March, next on the agenda.

Before then, can Lewis-Skelly force his way into Arsenal's first-choice XI? Clearly, the plan was for Rice, Bruno Guimarães and Martin Ødegaard to be Mikel Arteta's go-to lineup. However, after the Brazilian picked up an injury during the FA Community Shield in Cardiff, Lewis-Skelly began the season and was excellent.

When he dropped out to make room for Guimarães at Brighton, the whole thing fell apart, underlining that Bruno will need time to acclimatise to his new surroundings. It remains to be seen who will be selected against Leeds on Saturday. Nevertheless, with nine games coming up in four weeks, Lewis-Skelly has to be considered a genuine midfield option, not a left-back, as he has been for so long.

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