Mikel Arteta responds to Thomas Tuchel comments about Lewis-Skelly | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta says he would hate for Myles Lewis-Skelly to miss out on the England squad because of a lack of game time with Arsenal.

England boss Thomas Tuchel has suggested Lewis-Skelly’s lack of consistent game time for the Gunners could cost him a place in the Three Lions squad.

Riccardo Calafiori has instead started at left-back in the Premier League so far this campaign, with Lewis-Skelly featuring off the bench in four of the six league games.

The defender has been called up again for England’s matches against Wales and Latvia but asked if not playing so often could be an issue, Tuchel said: “Maybe it becomes a problem for him, yeah.

“To just be a good citizen in camp will not be enough over the course of a year.

“He was a very good player in camp, a very good team-mate in camp [last month]. But being a good team-mate in camp may not be good enough to stay the whole year with us.

“You have to perform at club level on a regular basis. In the last camp he got the credit, that I was convinced we have to take care of him and nominate him because we accelerated his career. It was our responsibility after we called him last season. So we stick to this.”

And asked for his response, Arteta said: “That’s pressure for me. Thanks Thomas!

“Hopefully he plays a lot and he plays at the level that he’s been playing with us and he can enjoy the national team and the World Cup, for sure.

“Because I want the best for my players and having the chance to play in a World Cup is something that I don’t want to take out from anybody for sure.”