Declan Rice has hailed Arsenal’s latest youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly – claiming he’s so talented its as if he was “built in a lab”.
The teenager has continued to get opportunities with Mikel Arteta putting his faith in him. Lewis-Skelly was a midfielder as an Arsenal youth prospect but has broken into the first team as a left-back this season. He’s begun Arsenal’s last three Premier League outings and has made an impression on those around him.
Rice, the club’s record signing, admits it is incredible how talented his 18-year-old colleague is and has talked up his potential. Lewis-Skelly has been handed opportunities domestically and in the Champions League, but is yet to put a foot wrong.
He made his debut off the bench in the draw at Manchester City earlier this season and Rice has talked up his potential provided he stays on the right path – which his team-mates are determined to do.
The ex-West Ham midfielder told the Arsenal website: “He can go to the top, this kid is just special, very special. 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. 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.”
Arteta has been more than willing to give youth a chance and under him Bukayo Saka, another academy graduate, has continued to blossom. Lewis-Skelly provides the Arsenal boss with a number of options.
