Myles Lewis-Skelly would be going back on his word if he opted to sign for Manchester United this summer. The youngster burst onto the scene two seasons ago and has established himself as a solid member of the Arsenal squad.
Midfield competition blocks path
However, his minutes have come under threat this season following the addition of Bruno Guimaraes, who joined as part of a £75million move from Newcastle. Lewis-Skelly had played the majority of his Arsenal senior career at left-back, but towards the end of last season, he was deployed as a midfielder - the position he played in at academy level.
Lewis-Skelly started the Champions League final for the Gunners in the middle of the park and was expected to play there more in the upcoming campaign. However, Guimaraes - when fit - is an automatic starter for the north Londoners, meaning Lewis-Skelly's path to the starting XI has been blocked off.
That's before mentioning the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino, who Lewis-Skelly is competing with in the midfield pecking order as well. It's not how the London-born star would've expected things to go when he penned a new contract with the Emirates Stadium outfit just over a year ago.
Arteta's confidence and United's alternatives
And during the interview after he put pen to paper, Lewis-Skelly said: "I want a legacy here." That is something that would be hard to achieve if he joined rivals United. Arteta doubled down on his suggestion that Lewis-Skelly won't leave in the current transfer window. When asked about the Englishman's future, he said that he was "100 per cent" confident the player will remain at Arsenal.
Arteta went on to praise his versatility, as well as his understanding of the system, following time spent in the academy. Arteta remarked: "The players that have been raised in our system, and they feel that love and that connection with the club, bring something else, there's no question about that.
"We need to look after them in a really special way because they bring value that is very difficult to find. That's why, when we can, we want to protect those assets as much as possible, develop them and make them extremely important for the club."
United's first-choice left-back target is believed to be Lewis Hall, but Newcastle are demanding a world record fee for a player in that position. Alternatively, David Raum of RB Leipzig and Alejandro Balde of Barcelona have also been mentioned as potential options. They will surely have to look away from Lewis-Skelly unless the Gunners youngster is willing to go against his own word.
