Darren Bent fears Myles Lewis-Skelly will find himself back on the bench against Atletico Madrid, despite delivering a ’10 out of 10′ performance against Fulham.
The Hale End Academy graduate has found opportunities to come back by this season following his stellar breakthrough last term when he excelled as a makeshift left-back.
With a Champions League semi-final second leg on the horizon, Mikel Arteta selected to ring the changes for Saturday’s game against Fulham and gambled by handing Lewis-Skelly a primary ever start in his preferred role in the center of midfield.
The 19-year-old rewarded his manager’s faith with an all-action display but Bent fears it won’t be enough to see him retain his place against Diego Simeone’s side on Wednesday.
‘Zubimendi will probably come back in because he’s the more senior player,’ Bent told Premier League Live.
‘But I feel the manager will likely be taking a look at his performance today considering do you realize what if a game’s happening against Atletico and it’s not quite working, he’ll haven’t any doubts in any respect. He knows he’s adequate to play in there, go and play.
I understand Zubimendi’s been outstanding this season, perhaps he’s faltered a little bit of late.
‘But Myles Lewis-Skelly, that’s not only a standard performance where you go he did OK, he did alright. He’s able to playing there, that was a top level performance.’
‘Bent did, nonetheless, suggest that with the games coming thick and fast, Arteta can have seen enough on Saturday to be confident that Lewis-Skelly could yet have a job to play in midfield through the remainder of the run-in.
‘I genuinely think Mikel Arteta will likely be taking a look at that considering if he doesn’t play against Atletico, he could defintely play against West Ham.
‘I feel it’s necessary to have the best players and evironment around him. Putting him alongside the likes of Declan and Eberechi Eze is vital.
‘I feel Declan will all the time talk over with him. He had Mark Nolbe for him when he got in that West Ham team.
‘I feel it was the right environment, the right opposition by way of a team that wasn’t really going to press, although I assumed they’d be higher. He was just outstanding today.
‘All of the little bits he needed to do, breaking up play, passing the ball forwards. That was the important thing, too often in the previous couple of weeks we’ve seen Arsenal players pass the buck and go backwards.
‘That then allows the team to get back into shape after which it’s hard to interrupt down.
‘The moment Lewis-Skelly got it he was on the half-term then boom, where’s Saka, where’s Eze, where’s Trossard.
‘Then while you’ve beaten that press early Arsenal can play within the areas they need.’
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