Declan Rice compares Arsenal wonderkid Myles Lewis-Skelly to elegant ex-Premier League midfielder as Mikel Arteta hails ‘phenomenal’ show
- Myles Lewis-Skelly delivered another impressive performance vs Tottenham
- Declan Rice was full of praise for his team-mate after the hard-fought win
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Declan Rice heaped praise on Myles Lewis-Skelly after the teenager starred in Arsenal‘s north London derby win over Tottenham on Wednesday night.
Lewis-Skelly, 18, has broken into the Arsenal first team in recent weeks and excelled at left back, despite playing most of his academy career as a midfielder.
He produced another fine performance at the Emirates on Wednesday as Arsenal came from behind to secure a 2-1 win and close to within four points of league leaders Liverpool.
Speaking after the match, Rice hailed Lewis-Skelly’s fearless approach and compared him to ex-Tottenham and Fulham midfielder Moussa Dembele.
‘It is scary,’ Rice told TNT Sports when discussing Lewis-Skelly’s ability. ‘I said the 18-year-olds now have no fear whatsoever.
‘There were four or five times where he has that Moussa Dembele trait. He uses his body to get away from stuff. To show that at 18 years old is unbelievable.’
Myles Lewis-Skelly starred in Arsenal’s win over Tottenham on Wednesday night
Declan Rice was full of praise for his teenage team-mate after the game at the Emirates
Rice hailed Lewis-Skelly’s versatility and compared him to ex-Tottenham and Fulham midfielder Moussa Dembele
Lewis-Skelly has been keeping more seasoned professionals such as Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori out of the team since being handed his opportunity by Mikel Arteta.
Rice expects the youngster to eventually move back into midfield, but feels his versatility can only be a strength moving forwards as he tipped Lewis-Skelly for international honours.
‘He is a midfielder by trade, he can play 6 and 8,’ Rice added. ‘To know these roles at 18 is unbelievable. Who knows what England holds for him.’
Arteta was equally impressed with Lewis-Skelly after he held his own against Tottenham’s dangerous attackers.
‘He was phenomenal again today,’ Arteta said. ‘He is a real personality and has a real attitude about him, you need it to play vs (Dejan) Kulusevski and (Brennan) Johnson. The way he handled the situation and occasion was top.’
Rio Ferdinand knows a thing or two about defending, and he was also blown away by how Lewis-Skelly handled himself when faced with Kulusevski and Johnson.
Ferdinand said: ‘To deal with them both the way he did, he deserves huge credit.’
