Jamie Carragher Reacts to Arsenal's Stance on Myles Lewis-Skelly

Jamie Carragher could hardly believe what he was reading. Moments after Myles Lewis-Skelly produced a brilliant assist in Arsenal’s Community Shield win over Manchester City, reports surfaced suggesting the club are open to moving him on this summer.

The 19-year-old, an academy product many Arsenal fans see as the next in line, drove that point home at Wembley. His sharp involvement and final ball set up Riccardo Calafiori for the opener, a reminder of why there has been such excitement around him in north London.

Carragher went straight to X/Twitter, baffled. “MLS role in that Arsenal goal! Are Arsenal really looking to push him out?” he posted, encapsulating the confusion of plenty watching on.

The noise of the last week suggests the answer, at least in part, is yes. Arsenal are not planning to force Lewis-Skelly out, but they are clearly testing the market. Senior figures at the club have sounded out both Chelsea and Manchester United to see if there is any interest in a deal.

This is not a question of talent, but traffic. Arsenal are stacked at left-back and well stocked in midfield. That congestion left Lewis-Skelly with only five Premier League starts in the 2025/26 season, and the picture for 2026/27 looks little brighter. Breaking through properly, at least in the short term, will be a brutal task.

Even so, the player’s stance is firm. He wants to stay. Lewis-Skelly remains determined to fight for his place at his boyhood club and make himself impossible to ignore over the coming campaign, even with his pathway blocked on paper.

United turn their attention to Lewis Hall

Arsenal’s call to Manchester United has not sparked a scramble. At Old Trafford, the focus is elsewhere.

INEOS and United’s recruitment team are prioritising Lewis Hall as their preferred option for the left-hand side, despite Newcastle United making it clear the defender is not for sale. United still see that area as a concern and are weighing up a late move for cover.

The need is obvious. Luke Shaw, described by Erik ten Hag in an interview with VI as “the best left back in the world”, remains central to United’s plans. But his injury history looms large. Ten Hag openly admitted that because of a serious early-career injury, Shaw will never be able to churn out 60 games a season.

Tyrell Malacia did not play a single minute last year. Behind them, the picture thins quickly. Youngster Harry Amass is expected to be sold before the deadline, which would leave Michael Carrick relying on Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui to plug gaps at left-back if Shaw breaks down again.

That is a risky way to walk into a season that includes Champions League nights against Europe’s elite. United know it. Jason Wilcox and his team now face a tense final fortnight of the window, hunting a solution on the left while Arsenal wrestle with a very different dilemma:

Can they really afford to cash in on a homegrown talent just as he starts to show why everyone has been talking about him?