Arteta backs Lewis-Skelly after England omission as Tuchel explains decision to leave out Arsenal youngster | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta had some words of support for defender Myles Lewis-Skelly after being left out of the England squad.

The Arsenal left-back has been a regular in England squads under Thomas Tuchel but has not been called up for the latest internationals.

“I think we are here to support and help each other and to give a good perspective of the situation and in the case of Myles, when you look at his age, what he’s already done, he’s just remarkable,” he said. 

“So don’t look at the one moment what is happening for you because maybe it happens for the right reason and today you cannot see it.”

England boss Tuchel had previously warned Lewis-Skelly he could face being dropped if he does not play regularly enough for his club, and says that is the reason for his exclusion.

“Myles was a very good team-mate and played for us in the last camp in the World Cup qualifier in Riga, so was Ruben Loftus-Cheek, so was Morgan Gibbs-White and James Trafford,” he said.

“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 out-performed by Nico O’Reilly, Alex Scott, Nick Pope and Jude in their positions.

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