Arsenal: Thomas Tuchel gives simple reason why Myles Lewis-Skelly was snubbed by England | OneFootball

The left-back was warned, and the Three Lions head coach is a man of his word

Lewis-Skelly immediately repaid the faith shown in him by scoring the first goal of Tuchel’s reign in a 2-0 win over Albania.

Game time at Arsenal has been hard to come by for Lewis-Skelly this season due to the form of fellow left-back Riccardo Calafiori.

Tuchel made a point in October of keeping his squad as similar as possible to his September selection, which included Lewis-Skelly, but did warn the young defender that his England place would be under threat further without more regular minutes for the Gunners.

Myles, Ruben and Morgan got outperformed by Nico O'Reilly, Alex Scott, Nick Pope and Jude in their positions

Thomas Tuchel

Sure enough, the youngster has paid the price.

“Myles was a very good team-mate and played for us in the last camp in the World Cup qualifier in Riga,” Tuchel said on Friday.

“So was Ruben Loftus-Cheek, so was Morgan Gibbs-White and James Trafford. But I said last time, there is a component to it that it's about competition and performance and the door is always open for guys who perform on a regular and high level.

“Myles, Ruben and Morgan got outperformed by Nico O'Reilly, Alex Scott, Nick Pope and Jude [Bellingham] in their positions.

“Myles simply needs more starts, more minutes. Now came a time when Nico O'Reilly had so many starts in that position, so he is slightly ahead for this camp.”

Back: Adam Wharton

John Walton/PA Wire

Tuchel also selected Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace for the first time since September, when he had to drop out due to injury. Wharton’s only cap came under Gareth Southgate in a friendly before Euro 2024.

“We’ve tried for the third time to call him up,” Tuchel joked. “I hope he stays fit.”

Tuchel handed a first call-up to Bournemouth midfielder Scott, part of Lee Carsley’s Under-21 Euros-winning team this summer.

“He had an excellent Euros,” the England head coach said of Scott. “He did an excellent job in midfield together with Elliot Anderson, who is now a regular starter for us.

“Then he [Scott] took another step and became a very regular starter for Bournemouth — in the top half of the league and overperforming constantly. We thought this was the perfect time to reward him and get to know him.”