You would have been forgiven for thinking last summer that Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri could be two of the main characters of Arsenal’s 2025-26 title push.
After all, Lewis-Skelly made 39 appearances in all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s side last campaign. He made 15 Premier League starts and seven starts in the Champions League, including both legs of the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Nwaneri scored nine goals in 37 appearances in all competitions, including 11 starts in the league.
Both players, who rose through the ranks of Arsenal’s famous Hale End academy together, signed new long-term contracts with the club as rewards for fine campaigns that saw them fully integrated into the first team. Lewis-Skelly even made his senior England debut in March 2025.
Fast-forward a year, however, and Lewis-Skelly has made one league start all campaign. Nwaneri is plying his trade in the south of France on loan with Marseille, who he joined in January.
The pair are essentially a victim of circumstance — Arsenal’s squad is so deep and so talented that they have not been provided with the opportunities that many would argue they deserve.
It is not as if either needed to prove anything to anyone, but England Under-21s 4-1 victory over Moldova at Norwich City’s Carrow Road on Tuesday served as a reminder of the talent possessed by Arsenal’s ‘forgotten men’.
Lewis-Skelly has made one league start for Arsenal this season (David Rogers/Getty Images)
Lewis-Skelly started at left-back but played an inverted role, drifting inside and occupying central spaces high up the pitch, while Strasbourg winger Samuel Amo-Ameyaw held the width on the left. In the first half, Lewis-Skelly was central to everything England did, with each attack involving him in some capacity.
The 19-year-old helped set up Nwaneri for the opener, rolling a Moldova defender with a silky turn and charging into the box. His deflected shot was saved and fell kindly for Nwaneri, who was on hand to fire home in the 11th minute.
It was the perfect start for Lewis-Skelly, who also started the 1-1 draw with Andorra on Friday.
“(Lewis-Skelly) got fast-tracked very quickly, from Arsenal straight into the senior team, and he’s found himself in a position now where he’s getting a lack of minutes at Arsenal, so it was perfect timing for him,” said head coach Lee Carsley, who also praised the full-back’s attitude after dropping back into the youth categories.
“It’s important that they want to play for the 21s. I don’t have to pick them. So it’s got to be mutual, that they feel like they can benefit and help the team, and I thought he did that tonight. I thought he was excellent.
“I can’t control (Lewis-Skelly’s game time). And nor can he, it’s down to the manager. What I can control is the minutes I give him at international level, and for him to do two 90s in a short amount of time, it sets him up nicely now, going back to Arsenal.”
Moldova shocked Carrow Road with an equaliser through Vasile Lucita in the second half, though Tottenham Hotspur’s Archie Gray restored England’s advantage in the 61st minute. Just 12 minutes later, it was the Arsenal show once again.
Lewis-Skelly picked up the ball around 30 yards and weaved his way past four defenders to the edge of the box, before feeding Nwaneri, who calmly slotted past Artur Nazarciuc in the Moldova net.
One of the things that stood out about the goal was how Lewis-Skelly drifted right into Nwaneri’s path, almost like he couldn’t wait to assist him. A connection forged over years in Arsenal’s youth system is now manifesting itself at the international level.
Carsley added: “I’ve seen Myles a lot in the age groups coming through, and him and Ethan, they’ve got a really good chemistry together. They seem to be able to find each other in pockets, and they’ve been very good on and off the pitch.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for both players, with rust showing on occasion. Nwaneri missed a couple of 1v1s that he seemed destined to put away, while Lewis-Skelly was caught in possession occasionally. He was almost responsible for Moldova taking the lead in the 54th minute, losing the ball in the opposing half and allowing a 2-on-1 break that was eventually halted by Rico Lewis.
Nwaneri is on loan with Marseille (David Rogers/Getty Images)
Still, their performances were a welcome sight for Arsenal supporters. Both players showed flashes last campaign that tantalised fans, who may now be disappointed by the lack of tangible first-team opportunities for two academy graduates.
Nwaneri, who has scored twice in nine games for Marseille, heads back to a team battling to keep its place in the Ligue 1 top four, while Lewis-Skelly will be dropped back into a squad fighting for its first league title since 2003. First, though, an FA Cup quarter-final trip to Southampton, where he will be a candidate to start at left-back.
It may not have been the season that they or the fans expected, but Tuesday proved that — provided they get the chance to show what they can do — the kids are going to be more than alright.
