Arsenal sent 'ready to go' Myles Lewis-Skelly message amid Man United transfer interest

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Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly is impressing with the England Under-21s amid reported transfer interest from Manchester United

England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley has explained why Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly is “ready to go” amid ongoing speculation about his future. Lewis-Skelly has been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium throughout the season after enjoying a breakthrough campaign last term.

The 19-year-old made 42 appearances for the Gunners last season on their way to finishing second in the Premier League and reaching the Champions League semi-final.

This season, though, Lewis-Skelly has featured 27 times for Arsenal but has only been handed 12 starts by Mikel Arteta across all competitions, including just once in the Premier League.

A lack of more regular game time and starts has led to speculation surrounding the teenager’s future, particularly around the possibility of a move away from north London.

Manchester United have been listed as a potential destination for Lewis-Skelly, despite the talented defender only signing a new long-term contract with Arsenal in June last year.

Lewis-Skelly is currently with the England Under-21 squad, and Carsley has explained how playing regularly for the Young Lions will give the defender a chance to get more minutes for the Gunners.

"I think you can train all you want, but there is nothing like match minutes where you are competing against someone and the intensity of it,” Carsley told BBC Sport.

"The fact now that he's potentially going back having played a lot of minutes for England puts him a strong position where, if he is called upon or gets a chance, he is ready to go. He doesn't [now] need one or two games, which you don't get at that level, to bed in."

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Lewis-Skelly made his debut for the Under-21s in the 1-1 draw with Andorra on Friday night, having previously earned six caps for the senior squad.

Arsenal’s next match will see them face Southampton in the quarter-final of the FA Cup this weekend. Lewis Skelly previously played the full 90 minutes in the wins over Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic in the earlier rounds, but did not feature in the win over Mansfield Town in their fifth-round tie earlier this month.

"He's shown such a great attitude and it's really benefited him this week playing minutes and training at a good level," Carsley added when speaking about how Lewis-Skelly has performed during the international break.

"I think that's one of the things that we always look for with the [senior] players and I'm thinking of Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento, Rico Lewis. A lot of players have done that, so Myles is not on his own.

"We look at attitude, we look at the desire to play and he was really enthusiastic about coming to the 21s. He sees that potentially as a route into getting minutes and then potentially going to play for Arsenal and then England.

"He had such a rise so quickly and this is football. This is what happens. There is lots of ups and downs, but he's responded well to it this camp."