Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said Myles Lewis-Skelly was substituted after 35 minutes against PSV on Tuesday because the “liability” of the 18-year-old receiving a red card was “quite clear”.
Starting at left-back in Eindhoven, Lewis-Skelly was fortunate to avoid a second yellow card from referee Jesus Gil Manzano when he brought down Richard Ledezma deep inside the Arsenal half.
“I didn’t want to take any risks and be managing the game for so long, especially with how important the competition is,” Arteta said of the 7-1 round of 16 first-leg win, in which Lewis-Skelly was replaced by Riccardo Calafiori.
“It was quite clear that we had a liability there with the yellow card and the next [foul]. It’s a lesson to learn for him, for sure. We will support and help him.
“The line is really thin in sport and he needs to understand that. He is very intelligent and extremely demanding of himself. He is a perfectionist and he is here to learn.”
Arsenal fans are loving Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri ❤️
(📸 via @Arsenal) pic.twitter.com/bRkYOvGQlr
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) February 2, 2025
Myles Lewis-Skelly suspension
Arteta is targeting a first Premier League goal and win in three games when his players visit Manchester United on Sunday (4.30pm GMT).
Lewis-Skelly is available again after serving a one-match suspension for the 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest on February 26, having been sent off following a Video Assistant Referee review in the 73rd minute of the 1-0 home defeat to West Ham four days earlier.
Academy product Lewis-Skelly was also dismissed in the 43rd minute of Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Wolves on January 25, with his punishment later overturned on appeal.
A special night ♥️
Watch highlights of our 7-1 win over PSV in the Champions League on Tuesday 👇 pic.twitter.com/2JSZw92kjF
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 7, 2025
Ayden Heaven to face Arsenal?
One Gunners graduate who could be in the opposition squad at Old Trafford is Ayden Heaven, who moved between the clubs for a “substantial” compensation fee earlier this year, following in the footsteps of forward Chido Obi-Martin last summer.
“When a player decides the best pathway for him is to leave, there’s not much you can do,” accepted Arteta.
“It’s very unfortunate because we want to keep our players from the academy and for [them] to be very successful with the first team… we weren’t able to do that.
“I guarantee you, if there’s a player who can help and impact the first team, he’ll be with us.”
🗣️ “I guarantee you, if there’s a player in the academy who can help us, he’ll be with us.”
Mikel Arteta says it was “unfortunate” to lose Chido Obi-Martin and Ayden Heaven but insists there’s a clear pathway for academy players into Arsenal’s first team 🛣️🔴 pic.twitter.com/xZ4rMBvHCJ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 7, 2025
Man United vs Arsenal
Second-placed Arsenal are 21 points above 14th-placed United in the table, but their chances of catching leaders Liverpool look slim with 11 league games of the Gunners’ season remaining.
The Reds will be 16 points clear if they win at home to rock-bottom Southampton on Saturday (3pm GMT), although they will have played two games more by that point.
United drew 1-1 at La Liga club Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday.