The Premier League have not nominated Myles Lewis-Skelly for the young player of the season award despite an excellent breakout campaign. The 18-year-old defender has enjoyed a meteoric rise to superstardom, establishing himself as a key player for Arsenal.
Lewis-Skelly didn’t make his first start for the Gunners in the English top flight until December, appearing in a goalless draw with Everton at the Emirates Stadium. He had only played 15 minutes in the Premier League before facing the Toffees, yet he quickly cemented himself a place in Mikel Arteta’s side.
The Hale End graduate went on to feature in 19 of Arsenal’s next 21 games in the English top flight, while also regularly appearing in the Carabao Cup and the UEFA Champions League. Lewis-Skelly also scored his first senior goal for the Gunners, finding the net in a 5-1 win over Manchester City.
His impressive performances later caught Thomas Tuchel’s eye, earning a couple of caps for England. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Three Lions’ clash against Albania in March, the former Chelsea boss heaped praise on Lewis-Skelly.
“Impressive,” said Tuchel. “I understand why everyone loves the boy – a big character and very talented player. He is ready to go. A lot of people will be impressed with him. With injuries, we ran a little bit out of left-footers who can play left-back.
“We were always impressed with Myles, and he quickly became a regular player for the second-best team in the country. I have huge confidence in the club that they still pick him regularly, and he has been very impressive from the very start.
“I can understand it feels a bit like we’ve fast-forwarded a career that is already at fast pace, but I can assure you the talks in the last days and weeks had a kind of parental and protective vibe.
“We felt like maybe we shouldn’t nominate him to protect him a little bit and to not skip him being in the under-21s to let him breathe a bit out of the spotlight. But with injuries, the quality and his maturity, we have decided to take him. He is a young and exciting player.”
Despite Lewis-Skelly’s best efforts, he’s been snubbed by the Premier League for the young player of the season award. Liam Delap, Ryan Gravenberch, Anthony Elanga, Dean Huijsen, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and William Saliba were nominated instead.
The decision to overlook Lewis-Skelly has raised eyebrows across the Arsenal fanbase. Meanwhile, Declan Rice has been nominated for the player of the season, which also surprised rivals supporters.
Gravenberch, Morgan Gibbs-White, Alexander Isak, Bryan Mbeumo, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Chris Wood are also up for the award. Votes from the public will be combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the winner of each, which will be announced next week.
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