Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri facing same issue...Viktor Gyokeres could be next

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Myles Lewis-Skelly was arguably the Premier League’s best breakthrough stories of last season. And that is why it has been so hard to watch him struggle this season.

One of the country’s most exciting teenagers is suddenly struggling for form and confidence. Lewis-Skelly, 19, is clearly still the same player but last season’s whirlwind has been replaced by a struggle to get into the Arsenal team.

The England international has actually made more appearances than you might think. Twenty two across all competitions. But, tellingly, 13 of his 14 Premier League appearances have been as a substitute.

That was highlighted by Lewis-Skelly’s performance against Liverpool on Thursday night which probably set a few alarm bells ringing. He looked rusty, not ready and sloppy. He lacked the rhythm and confidence which he had in abundance last season.

Yes, he has lost his place to Riccardo Calafiori. But when Calafiori is out, Piero Hincapie is the one who gets the call.

Maybe now Lewis-Skelly might get a run with both set to miss the FA Cup tie at Portsmouth on Sunday but there is still an issue here.

For his development and progress, surely he deserves more minutes and man-management this season to keep him sharper than what he looked in the 33 minutes he got against Liverpool.

There was a lovely touch of swagger and flair to his game last season as he was brave - sometimes a bit too reckless - as he was fearless in going past opponents.

That is what got him into the England set-up and made the midfielder-turned-defender into a genuine World Cup prospect. Now you have to say his chances of being on the plane this summer are fading. You could not justify an England recall at this point.

There is no doubt that Mikel Arteta clearly feels he is too rash at times with his runs and maybe this season is a valuable learning curve to look and see what the Arsenal manager wants from him.

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Can it be a coincidence that Gabriel Heinze, a fearsome left-sided defender in his playing days, has come in and suddenly Calafiori plays more and Hincapie is also a bit of a warrior.

For a young player, the important thing is to learn from the setbacks as much as from the highlights. This season has been lower and his clumsy performance against Liverpool shocked a few.

But now with a run of games - or the chance of - he has to go back to the basics of defending well and getting back into the groove.

There is no chance of him going out on loan and Arsenal do not want to let Ethan Nwaneri go out either in this window. Yes, there is interest - but Arsenal’s best kids can learn from training with the best and working at the best standards.

Nwaneri is such an exciting young player. But he has barely had a look-in this season. His problem is clearly that Arteta struggles at times to trust young players. Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are not alone in that.

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Nwaneri needs to press more, work harder in the game and master a bit more of the defensive side of his game.

But Arteta can be loyal. If you look at Viktor Gyokeres. You could argue it has become blind faith in the £64m striker.

The worry with Gyokeres is that he is just not good enough technically, He is on a different, lower level to his teammates. Yes, he works hard and occupies defenders.

But Kai Havertz is a way better footballer and you fear that when he comes back, Gyokeres may find himself out of the team like a few of the younger ones…

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