Manchester United icon Paul Scholes has advised Arsenal against selling emerging talent Myles Lewis-Skelly, suggesting that Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi would be a more suitable player to offload. Lewis-Skelly, a 19-year-old academy product, has drawn attention from Manchester United and Chelsea amid uncertainty surrounding his future at the Emirates Stadium.
Lewis-Skelly experienced a breakthrough season in 2024-25, playing a key role in the latter stages of the campaign despite limited game time earlier. However, the club's acquisition of Bruno Guimaraes, alongside existing options like Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Martin Merino, and Eberechi Eze, has led to speculation about the young player's role.
Scholes expressed his preference for Lewis-Skelly over Zubimendi, stating on The Overlap Fan Debate, "I think Zubimendi struggled last year. If there’s one player you are going to get rid of, it would be him." He further likened the potential departure of Lewis-Skelly to Danny Welbeck leaving Manchester United, an event Scholes described as "disappointing" when a club loses its own developing players.
Jamie Carragher echoed Scholes' sentiments, expressing surprise at reports suggesting Arsenal had offered Lewis-Skelly to other clubs. "I still can’t believe it," Carragher said. "Obviously, last season wasn’t great for him for the whole season, but when a young player has already put in performances like I’ve seen him put in at the Bernabeu... He was running the game at the Bernabeu from left-back and then his performance in the Champions League final in central midfield against Paris Saint-Germain."
Carragher emphasized Lewis-Skelly's high potential, noting, "You can’t play at that level unless you’re pretty special at that age. All young players have ups and downs. Last season he didn’t play as much as he probably would have liked. But, as you just said, his ceiling is so high for the performances he’s already put in as a kid. I couldn’t believe that Arsenal would even think about letting him go."
When asked about Lewis-Skelly's future, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta declined to comment on speculation, stating, "If there is a speculation about our players, that’s a good sign. That means that we attract attention and they’re doing a good job.”