England boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed why he axed Arsenal wonderkid Myles Lewis-Skelly from his latest squad, and it’s all down to being “outperformed.”
The 18-year-old, hailed as one of Arsenal’s brightest prospects, was left out of Tuchel’s lineup for England’s clashes with Serbia and Albania this month. Instead, Tuchel handed spots to Manchester City’s rising star Nico O’Reilly and others who, in his words, simply earned it more.
“Myles [Lewis-Skelly] was a good teammate and played for us in the last camp,” Tuchel said. “It is about competition and performance. The door is always open for guys who perform on a regular and high level.”
Tuchel didn’t mince his words, adding that Lewis-Skelly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Morgan Gibbs-White had been outshone by the likes of O’Reilly, Alex Scott, Nick Pope, and Jude Bellingham.
“Myles simply needs more starts and more minutes,” Tuchel added. “We selected him last camp despite his position at Arsenal.”
At Arsenal, Lewis-Skelly has yet to start a Premier League match this season, with Mikel Arteta sticking to Riccardo Calafiori at left-back. But the Gunners boss jumped to his young player’s defence, insisting the snub won’t derail his progress.
“When you look at his age, what he’s already done, he’s just remarkable,” Arteta said. “Don’t look at one moment, maybe it’s happening for the right reason.”
Meanwhile, talk of a shock England recall for Danny Welbeck turned out to be just that, talk. The 34-year-old Brighton striker, despite bagging six goals in his last five games, was left out once again.
Welbeck hasn’t worn the England shirt since the 2018 World Cup, and it looks like that drought will continue.
Tuchel’s message is loud and clear: no name is safe, perform, or get left behind.
