Myles Lewis-Skelly endeared himself to the Arsenal faithful after squaring up to Erling Haaland – and boss Mikel Arteta also loved it.
The 17-year-old made his senior debut in Sunday’s 2-2 draw away at Manchester City as a late substitute for Jurrien Timber.
And the Hale End star, who actually received a yellow card for dissent before coming on, immediately showed his mettle by getting in Haaland’s face to defend teammate Gabriel following the full-time whistle.
As the Norwegian striker attempted to intimidate the Gunners defender, Lewis-Skelly stepped in – unfazed by the incensed Norway international.
Despite being towered over by the Premier League’s top scorer, he stood head on with him, rattling the goal machine in the process.
Haaland proceeded to ask the youngster ‘who the f***’ he is as tempers flared at the Etihad Stadium as the ten-man Gunners ended City’s 100 per cent start to the season.
Ilkay Gundogan had to push the academy graduate away from his Citizens teammate, with Lewis-Skelly typifying Arsenal’s new-look attitude that they are scared of no-one.
The incident was brought up in Arteta’s pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup third round clash against Bolton – where the teenager could be handed his first start.
Asked what it shows about his character, Arteta gushed: “He’s a competitor.
“You look at him, in every duel he goes [for it], the way he reacts to his teammates.
“You speak to him and it’s constant eye-contact, he’s nodding, he’s asking questions, he’s a special character.”
Arteta also praised Lewis-Skelly’s versatility, as he stressed he will be given plenty of chances to showcase his immense talent this season.
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The Spaniard stated: “He can play in three positions, as a left-back, as a No.6, as a No.8, he is very versatile.
“He adapts, he can occupy different spaces, he is very adaptable, and that’s the good thing about Myles.
“He is very intelligent, very thorough, he has some unbelievable questions every time you ask him to do something.
“And he has the competitive edge that I think is demanded at this level.
“He really wants it, so we’re going to use him in different positions.”
Big things are expected of Lewis-Skelly and fellow Hale Ender Ethan Nwaneri, with Arteta declaring the duo are champing at the bit to feature more regularly.
He said: “Those two are really pushy, really demanding. They want everything. They want to see everything. They want more and more information. They love it.
“You can tell they are so passionate about it. They see the opportunity, and they want to grab it with both hands.
“They are great to work with.”
And the pair are expected to be named in the starting XI when Arseanl welcome League One Bolton to the Emirates Stadium for a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
With midfielder Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino out injured along with full-backs Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney, Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri could be handed more Premier League game time in the near future.
It is just what England youth coach Emile Heskey predicted last year, as he told talkSPORT the pair are primed to break into the Arsenal first team.
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