Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick has confirmed the club's satisfaction with Myles Lewis-Skelly, responding to fresh speculation linking the 19-year-old with a move to Manchester United.
Doubts over Lewis-Skelly's future at the Emirates Stadium were raised after intermediaries reportedly approached Manchester United and Chelsea with the offer to sign the defender. However, it is understood that Lewis-Skelly is not exploring a move away from the club.
Rooney's 'no-brainer' claim
Despite the player's stance, former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney described a potential move for Lewis-Skelly as a "no-brainer" for his former club, citing a reported price tag of £45million.
Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, Rooney said: "I don't think you can rely on Luke Shaw to be consistent for the whole season and that leads me to Myles Lewis-Skelly. We're hearing that he could be available for not that much money, so I think that's an absolute no-brainer."
Rooney added: "If you can get a player in who can play left-back and centre-midfield, that's an absolute no-brainer. He's young and he's got a massive future ahead of him. Arsenal have spent a lot over the last couple of years so selling Lewis-Skelly makes some sense as it would be pure profit. I don't think it would be a great look but I can see why they might sell him. If you're United and he becomes available it's a no-brainer, they definitely need to bring in a left-back, that's a priority for United."
Garlick's response
However, Garlick has moved to quash any talk of Lewis-Skelly leaving the club. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: "Myles has had a fantastic end to last season and he started this season really well and as I say we're always looking to retain and build on our best players. Obviously there may be speculation, I'm not going to go into that from other clubs but we're very happy with Myles and the position he's in at the club."
