Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have heaped praise on Myles Lewis-Skelly after the Arsenal star's 'remarkable' start to the new campaign for both club and country.
Lewis-Skelly burst onto the scene at Arsenal two seasons ago, breaking out of the Gunners' academy ranks to establish himself as a genuine first-team regular at the Emirates. But while Lewis-Skelly ended last season with a Premier League winners' medal around his neck, it proved a disappointing year for the 20-year-old from a personal perspective, with Riccardo Calafiori nailing down his place as Mikel Arteta's first-choice left-back.
This drop down the pecking order in north London ultimately led to Lewis-Skelly missing out on a place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the 2026 World Cup, which would have come as a devastating blow to the youngster.
Midfield switch sparks resurgence
Lewis-Skelly has, though, responded in style in the opening weeks of the new season after moving from full-back into central midfield – his favoured position. The Hale End academy product impressed on his return to England duty on Saturday night, albeit in defeat, as Tuchel's men came out second best at Wembley against Spain, the reigning world and European champions, in their Nations League opener.
After being given the nod alongside Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham in the engine room, Lewis-Skelly will no doubt be desperate to continue his run in the side when the Three Lions return to action versus the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
'I know he played in midfield last season but his rise this season to go into Arsenal and into England's midfield has been remarkable,' ex-England striker Shearer said of Lewis-Skelly's performance on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football.
Lineker: 'Exceptional' performances
Three Lions legend Gary Lineker was similarly impressed with Lewis-Skelly, chiming in: 'It has [been remarkable].
'It's funny because you've got Nico O'Reilly who is really a midfield player turned left-back and you've got Lewis-Skelly who is a full-back and seems to have turned into a midfield player.
'Obviously when they grow up nowadays they kind of play everywhere, all these positions, so it's really good for them. But they're two exceptional footballers.
'I think he's done really well in that midfield role filling the boots of Declan Rice.
'Big responsibility against Spain, especially when you've got one of the midfielders, Jude Bellingham, who is primarily in forward positions.
'I thought both Lewis-Skelly and Elliot Anderson in there were exceptional.'
Looking at the bigger picture, Shearer was encouraged by England's overall display but felt Marc Guehi and Nico O'Reilly's costly mistakes should be cause for 'concern' in the Three Lions camp.
'It was pretty concerning how many chances England were giving away in the first ten or 15 minutes,' the former Newcastle centre-forward – the Premier League's all-time top goalscorer – added. 'But after that, I thought they played really well.
'Obviously defensively they were punished for their mistakes.'
Bellingham hailed as 'star of the show'
Lineker, meanwhile, singled out Jude Bellingham for special praise, naming the Real Madrid midfielder as the 'star of the show' following a shaky start for the hosts.
'After ten minutes I thought, "Oh, crikey, this could be embarrassing!", and then we kicked into gear,' he said.
'I thought the midfield did really well, played some really good football ourselves at times and penned Spain in on occasions.
'We created chances and lots of shots. I thought it was a much more encouraging performance.
'Obviously it doesn't have quite the pressure of the Argentina game but England played some really good football, sometimes on the counter-attack and sometimes keeping them in there.
'Star of the show for me, again, was Jude Bellingham. There were some really great performances but he's such a good footballer.'
