Mikel Arteta responds to Thomas Tuchel dropping Myles Lewis-Skelly for latest England squad | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has offered his take on Myles Lewis-Skelly being dropped from Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad.

The 25-man squad for November’s fixtures against Serbia and Albania was released on Thursday, with the Arsenal left-back left out having featured in October’s camp.

Gunners teammates Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka are all in Tuchel’s latest group, while Morgan Gibbs-White, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, James Trafford and Ollie Watkins are the other names dropped.

Arteta was asked about Lewis-Skelly - who has struggled for regular minutes for the club this season - in his press conference on Friday ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Sunderland on Saturday.

Asked whether the 19-year-old needs an arm around him, Arteta replied: “Yes for sure, we are here to support and to help each other and give a good perspective of the situation.

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

The Spaniard also said he had nothing to report in terms of injuries to the squad, with all of Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke currently out of action.

He refused to be drawn on if any of them had made progress ahead of Saturday’s encounter, saying “I cannot confirm all of that [whether they will all be unavailable], but you are not far.”

Arsenal’s next Premier League game after the international break is a north London derby on Sunday 23 November, when the absentees could feature. Arteta said “I think it will be really close for them to be in a strong positon.”

Saturday’s game against Sunderland will be the first time the Gunners face former teammate Granit Xhaka since he left the club in 2023. The Swiss had a difficult time at Arsenal, with disciplinary issues including five straight red cards and a public falling-out with fans, which led to him losing the captaincy, not helping his cause.

But he appears to have found a new lease of life at Sunderland and Arteta said: “It wasn't an easy decision [to part ways] because I knew the impact he could have at the team.

“I loved every minute that we spent together. When he joined he was in a special moment in his life and his career. He made me a better coach, he helped us to develop as a football team and as a club and I will be eternally grateful.

“With the impact that he's having, one of the best [summer signings] I would say. I think the impact that he's had is brilliant. Really impressed.”