Myles Lewis-Skelly endeared himself to the Arsenal faithful after squaring as much as Erling Haaland – and boss Mikel Arteta also loved it.
The 17-year-old made his senior debut in Sunday’s 2-2 draw away at Manchester City as a late substitute for Jurrien Timber.
And the Hale End star, who actually received a yellow card for dissent before coming on, immediately showed his mettle by getting in Haaland’s face to defend teammate Gabriel following the full-time whistle.
Because the Norwegian striker attempted to intimidate the Gunners defender, Lewis-Skelly stepped in – unfazed by the incensed Norway international.
Despite being towered over by the Premier League’s top scorer, he stood head on with him, rattling the goal machine in the method.
Haaland proceeded to ask the teen ‘who the f***’ he’s as tempers flared on the Etihad Stadium because the ten-man Gunners ended City’s 100 per cent begin to the season.
Ilkay Gundogan needed to push the academy graduate away from his Residents teammate, with Lewis-Skelly typifying Arsenal’s new-look attitude that they’re terrified of no-one.
The incident was brought up in Arteta’s pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup third round clash against Bolton – where the teenager could possibly be handed his first start.
Asked what it shows about his character, Arteta gushed: “He’s a competitor.
“You take a look at him, in every duel he goes [for it], the way in which he reacts to his teammates.
“You speak to him and it’s constant eye-contact, he’s nodding, he’s asking questions, he’s a special character.”
Arteta also praised Lewis-Skelly’s versatility, as he stressed he can be given loads of probabilities to showcase his immense talent this season.
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The Spaniard stated: “He can play in three positions, as a left-back, as a No.6, as a No.8, he could be very versatile.
“He adapts, he can occupy different spaces, he could be very adaptable, and that is the advantage of Myles.
“He could be very intelligent, very thorough, he has some unbelievable questions each time you ask him to do something.
“And he has the competitive edge that I feel is demanded at this level.
“He really wants it, so we will use him in numerous positions.”
Big things are expected of Lewis-Skelly and fellow Hale Ender Ethan Nwaneri, with Arteta declaring the duo are champing on the bit to feature more repeatedly.
He said: “Those two are really pushy, really demanding. They need every part. They need to see every part. They need increasingly information. They find it irresistible.
“You possibly can tell they’re so enthusiastic about it. They see the chance, they usually need to grab it with each hands.
“They’re great to work with.”
And the pair are expected to be named within the starting XI when Arseanl welcome League One Bolton to the Emirates Stadium for a spot within the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
With midfielder Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino out injured together with full-backs Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney, Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri could possibly be handed more Premier League game time within the near future.
It’s just what England youth coach Emile Heskey predicted last 12 months, as he told talkSPORT the pair are primed to interrupt into the Arsenal first team.
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