Mikel Arteta spoke about his pride of Myles Lewis-Skelly who received his first senior call-up in England and hopes that the graduated Academy Arsenal's young people can inspire the same path.
The 18-year-old was mentioned on Thursday in the first three Lions team of Thomas Tuchel for the qualifications of next week's World Cup against Albania and Latvia.
Lewis-Skelly, who only made his first team debut in September, made 25 performances for Arsenal this season in all competitions, including eight Premier League-Starts.
The versatile midfielder, who has also often played with left back, has won 6.77 duels per 90 minutes, a count that was only improved for the Gunners by Mikel Merino (7.26) in the Premier League.
Lewis-Skelly also won 1.73 tackles per 90 minutes in the English top flight, with only Thomas Partey (1.97) and Riccardo Calafiori (1.75) on average more.
“I am very proud of him. It is a huge moment for him and also for the club,” Arteta told reporters. “One of our graduates receives the call for England. It's huge, so [I’m] Very happy.
“Thomas [Tuchel] is a top coach. I know a few people around him and the setup in England, and I have no doubt that they will do the right thing with him.
“We are all very, very happy because it is a very nice story, and a story that gives a lot of hope to many young players who, in six, seven months, can change your career dramatically, drastically for the good.
“So it's something for people to be inspired. I think it didn't happen because he was lucky. I think he insisted on every chance to make it happen and the way he did it.”
Ready to represent
Mikel Arteta is full of pride after Myles Lewis-Skelly's England calluppic.twitter.com/thdpv1z3jo
– Arsenal (@ARSENAL) March 14, 2025
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