Why did Arsenal wait so long to play Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield? Mikel Arteta mocks himself after taking ‘big risk’ in Premier League title battle

Lewis-Skelly is no stranger to the big stage, having enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last year where he primarily featured as an inverted left-back. He even earned plaudits for a standout performance against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu. However, his opportunities in the middle of the park have been limited this term, with the start against Fulham being only his third league appearance of the season. Lewis-Skelly was selected to replace Martin Zubimendi, who has looked fatigued in recent weeks, and the youngster responded with a sensational performance.

The manager shared a warm embrace with the teenager on the pitch following the final whistle, clearly delighted with how the gamble paid off. Arteta was quick to praise the youngster's mental strength during a period where he had to be patient for his chance to shine in his preferred role. When asked why it took so long to unleash the academy graduate, Arteta replied jokingly: "Because probably I don't have a clue. Maybe I should have done it earlier, I don't know."

Despite the light-hearted comment, Arteta explained that selecting Lewis-Skelly in such a high-stakes environment was a move he gave significant thought to. "I have to do things when I believe a player is ready, the team is ready and the opponent is the right one to play with him in that position," the Spaniard explained.

“We've done it today, it was the first time," Arteta continued. "It was a big risk because I knew what was going to happen. If it works it's great, if we'd have lost the game - 'How do you play a kid at this age in this scenario in a position he hasn't played?' I knew that but I had the feeling it was the right game for him."

Addressing the player’s journey this season, Arteta highlighted the work ethic that earned Lewis-Skelly his spot. "He fully deserves it," the boss said. "I've been tough on him. He has a spectacular season last year when he jumped into the first-team. He had some difficult moments after that but he stayed very humble, very focused, very aligned with what we wanted to do."

Arteta concluded by praising the maturity shown by the 19-year-old under the bright lights of the Emirates Stadium. "I knew he was ready, he's been showing [that] in training every day, in the opportunities that he had to play he's done it. Today he really stepped up and I thought he had an incredible performance."