Myles Lewis-Skelly has been tipped for an immediate England move by former Arsenal left-back Nigel Winterburn and says the teenager's impressive start to his career is no surprise.
Lewis-Skelly, 18, made his debut last September but was a regular starter for Mikel Arteta last month.
Winterburn, who won three League Cups and two FA Cups with Arsenal, says he has given club and country the chance he deserves.
101 Talking Through Great Goals. William Hill Vegas Winterburn said: “I've followed Myles through the youth system and his preferred position has always been midfielder.
“He is a strong carrier of the ball and will have to learn positioning skills at left-back, but reverse play is not a problem for him as he is very comfortable taking the ball under pressure.
“He's developed so quickly but it's not a surprise to me – I didn't realize he had so much potential going forward.
Gabriel Martinelli says Myles Lewis-Skelly is 'potentially one of the best players in the world' ❤️#BBCF football pic.twitter.com/jNTR5TPC8o
— Matches of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 18 2025
“He's almost forced to be Arsenal's regular left-back and it's incredible. He is a classy young man who enjoys playing at a big club and will continue to improve.
“When everyone is ready, he will ask Mikel to make a decision. That's all you can do. He deserves to play.”
Oleksandr Zinchenko started 20 Premier League games last season, but this year Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have been seen as Arteta's preferred options.
However, Timber is playing on the right for the injured Ben White, and with Calafiori's first season plagued by injuries, the door is open for Lewis-Skelly.
A similar opportunity could be on the cards at the international level.
England have struggled in recent seasons with Luke Shaw regularly injured at left-back, and Kieran Trippier, now retired from international duty, has been Gareth Southgate's preferred player for most of the run up to the Euro 2024 finals.
Myles Lewis-Skelly 🏴#U17Euro pic.twitter.com/nYXOxn7sOM
— UEFA U21 EURO (@UEFAUnder21) January 16 2025
New manager Thomas Tuchel will name his first team in March and it wouldn't be a surprise if Winterberg is an Arsenal teenager.
“There's a huge opportunity for somebody,” Winterburn said.
“I wouldn't be surprised if he was next on the list. He put himself in the mirror in his style.
“England have had a lot of injuries at left-back and it's not like asking someone of Ashley Cole's caliber to leave the best left-back in the world.
“Luke Shaw has injury problems; Ben Chilwell doesn't fit in at Chelsea So there's going to be three or four players that they think have a chance to start there, and Myles is one of them.