Shearer and Lineker hail Arsenal star's 'remarkable' rise

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Myles Lewis-Skelly's switch from left-back into central midfield has earned him praise from two of English football's most recognisable voices, with Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker both describing the Arsenal midfielder's start to the season as "remarkable".

The 20-year-old started for England against Spain at Wembley on Saturday night in the Nations League opener, lining up in a midfield three alongside Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham. Thomas Tuchel's side lost the game, with Mikel Oyarzabal's goal proving decisive against the reigning world and European champions.

It was Lewis-Skelly's seventh senior cap, and it came after a period in which the Hale End graduate had slipped down the pecking order in north London.

From squeezed out at left-back to England's engine room

Lewis-Skelly broke into the Arsenal first team two seasons ago and quickly became a regular, but last term saw Riccardo Calafiori establish himself as Mikel Arteta's first-choice left-back. Lewis-Skelly ended the campaign with a Premier League winners' medal, though he was left out of Tuchel's England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The move into central midfield — his preferred position — has changed the picture in the opening weeks of the new season, for club and country alike.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football, Shearer said: "I know he played in midfield last season but his rise this season to go into Arsenal and into England's midfield has been remarkable."

Lineker: 'Filling the boots of Declan Rice'

Lineker agreed, and drew a comparison with Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly, who has travelled in the opposite direction positionally.

"It's funny because you've got Nico O'Reilly who is really a midfield player turned left-back and you've got Lewis-Skelly who is a full-back and seems to have turned into a midfield player," the former England striker said. "Obviously when they grow up nowadays they kind of play everywhere, all these positions, so it's really good for them. But they're two exceptional footballers."

Lineker added: "I think he's done really well in that midfield role filling the boots of Declan Rice. Big responsibility against Spain, especially when you've got one of the midfielders, Jude Bellingham, who is primarily in forward positions. I thought both Lewis-Skelly and Elliot Anderson in there were exceptional."

Shearer was broadly encouraged by England's display but flagged the opening exchanges as a worry. "It was pretty concerning how many chances England were giving away in the first ten or 15 minutes," he said. "But after that, I thought they played really well. Obviously defensively they were punished for their mistakes."

Lineker named Bellingham as the "star of the show", saying: "After ten minutes I thought, 'Oh, crikey, this could be embarrassing!', and then we kicked into gear."

England return to action against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, with Lewis-Skelly in contention to keep his place in the middle of the park before club football resumes.