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\u2019s 2025-26 title push.<\/p>\n
After all, Lewis-Skelly made 39 appearances in all competitions for Mikel Arteta\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Nwaneri scored nine goals in 37 appearances in all competitions, including 11 starts in the league.<\/p>\n
Both players, who rose through the ranks of Arsenal\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The pair are essentially a victim of circumstance \u2014 Arsenal\u2019s squad is so deep and so talented that they have not been provided with the opportunities that many would argue they deserve.<\/p>\n
It is not as if either needed to prove anything to anyone, but England Under-21s 4-1 victory over Moldova at Norwich City\u2019s Carrow Road on Tuesday served as a reminder of the talent possessed by Arsenal\u2019s \u2018forgotten men\u2019.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/03\/01015649\/GettyImages-2269275646-1024x708.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n Lewis-Skelly has made one league start for Arsenal this season (David Rogers\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n It was the perfect start for Lewis-Skelly, who also started the 1-1 draw with Andorra on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201c(Lewis-Skelly) got fast-tracked very quickly, from Arsenal straight into the senior team, and he\u2019s found himself in a position now where he\u2019s getting a lack of minutes at Arsenal, so it was perfect timing for him,\u201d said head coach Lee Carsley, who also praised the full-back\u2019s attitude after dropping back into the youth categories.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important that they want to play for the 21s. I don\u2019t have to pick them. So it\u2019s got to be mutual, that they feel like they can benefit and help the team, and I thought he did that tonight.\u2029I thought he was excellent.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t control (Lewis-Skelly\u2019s game time). And nor can he, it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Moldova shocked Carrow Road with an equaliser through Vasile Lucita in the second half, though Tottenham Hotspur\u2019s Archie Gray restored England\u2019s advantage in the 61st minute. Just 12 minutes later, it was the Arsenal show once again.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n One of the things that stood out about the goal was how Lewis-Skelly drifted right into Nwaneri\u2019s path, almost like he couldn\u2019t wait to assist him. A connection forged over years in Arsenal\u2019s youth system is now manifesting itself at the international level.<\/p>\n Carsley added: \u201cI\u2019ve seen Myles a lot in the age groups coming through, and him and Ethan, they\u2019ve got a really good chemistry together. They seem to be able to find each other in pockets, and they\u2019ve been very good on and off the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \n Nwaneri is on loan with Marseille (David Rogers\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n It may not have been the season that they or the fans expected, but Tuesday proved that \u2014 provided they get the chance to show what they can do \u2014 the kids are going to be more than alright.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2019s 2025-26 title push. 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