Arsenal star faces ‘tough times’ due to ‘exceptional’ teammate

Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly has dropped below Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie in the pecking order and could be moved back into midfield, according to a report.

The wonderkid enjoyed a stunning breakout season last term, which saw him establish himself as a regular under Mikel Arteta. The teenager even managed to get into the England team and was rewarded with a bumper new contract over the summer.

Lewis-Skelly impressed massively at left-back, but as the season went on, some of his rash decision-making increasingly became a source of frustration.

Over the summer, Arsenal decided to pounce on Piero Hincapie’s desire to leave Bayer Leverkusen, adding him to their left-back ranks on an initial loan deal that is expected to become permanent next summer.

This has seen Lewis-Skelly become the Gunners’ third-choice left-back, and the Three Lions star has massively struggled for minutes in the early stages of this new season.

Lewis-Skelly to move back into midfield?

According to Arsenal insider Charles Watts, Lewis-Skelly could be moved back into midfield to provide him with more minutes going forward. The youngster started out in the middle of the park before being converted into a full-back.

Of course, he also faces world-class competition in Arsenal’s engine room, but there are more positions up for grabs, potentially enabling him to get more of a look-in. FootballTransfers already revealed back in March that Lewis-Skelly’s long-term future is expected to lie in midfield.

“Riccardo Calafiori has been exceptional so far this season, and I think he is a certainty to start against Manchester City this weekend,” Watts wrote.

“So with that in mind, I thought Arteta would use the game in Bilbao to give Calafiori a bit of a breather and to give Lewis-Skelly his first start of the season.

“But he did neither. He started Calafiori, and when he did make a change late on, it was new boy Piero Hincapie who came on for his debut down the left-hand side.

“It was an incredible six months for the youngster [last term], but now he has to go through some tougher times… Maybe we will see him a bit more in his more natural midfield position.”

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