Arsenal wonderkid Myles Lewis-Skelly has revealed that he “had to mirror” one of his teammates during the Gunners’ 3-2 win at home to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday night.
18-year-old Lewis-Skelly replaced Kieran Tierney in the 69th minute after the Scotsman suffered an apparent injury after making his first start for the club since May 2023, having also spent a year out on loan in that time as well as contending with multiple injuries.
Before his substitution midway through the second half, Tierney had been playing in a very advanced role, at times operating further up the pitch than even left-winger Leandro Trossard was, a decision that Mikel Arteta said was made to “play to his strengths.”
Arteta said: “He’s playing to his strengths, that’s something that we have to continue to learn because they give you a lot of information. They [players] tell you not sometimes with their words but with a lot of information, where they feel more comfortable, and certainly there is a much better fit for him.”
The more advanced role is one that suits Lewis-Skelly who, throughout his youth career, has operated primarily as a midfielder, and the teenager said that his history playing in midfield helped him to mimic the role played by Tierney on Wednesday.
