Tuchel explains Arsenal youngster's England start: 'No presents'

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Myles Lewis-Skelly celebrated his 20th birthday by starting for England against Spain at Wembley on Saturday night — and Thomas Tuchel was quick to stress the selection had nothing to do with the occasion.

The Hale End graduate was handed a place in midfield for the meeting with the world champions, a fixture England ended up losing 3-2. It marked a notable shift in his international standing after he was left out of Tuchel's World Cup squad only a few months ago.

Tuchel: "No presents here for no one"

Asked about the timing of the start, the England manager made clear that Lewis-Skelly had earned his place on merit.

"No presents here for no one. Also not on his birthday," Tuchel said after the game, as relayed by JustArsenal.

Tuchel also pointed to the role Lewis-Skelly has been playing at club level as the reason for deploying him centrally rather than at left-back. "He did very well for Arsenal in this position. I think it suits him a bit better than left-back," the German said.

On the performance itself, Tuchel added: "He's just… Was just very good and very… Had a good match today. So well done. Did everything that was needed. Good performance."

A midfield role Arsenal fans already know

The positional point is one Gunners supporters will recognise. Lewis-Skelly broke into Mikel Arteta's senior side primarily as a left-back, but he has increasingly been used in midfield for Arsenal, including across last season.

That versatility is now being reflected at international level, with Tuchel using him in the role he has grown into at club level rather than the one he first made his name in.

The World Cup omission had represented a significant setback for a player whose rise had been close to vertical up to that point. Being restored to the squad and then handed a start against Spain — one of the toughest assignments available in international football — suggests he has responded to it in the way the England manager wanted.

Another marker in a fast-moving career

Lewis-Skelly was one of several Arsenal players involved at Wembley, with seven Gunners featuring across the two squads in the 3-2 defeat.

For Arsenal, Tuchel's comments carry a secondary significance. The England manager publicly endorsing Lewis-Skelly's midfield work is an outside validation of a positional experiment Arteta has been running at club level, and it arrives at a point where the 20-year-old's development is still very much ongoing.

Having gone from World Cup disappointment to a starting berth against the world champions in a matter of months, Lewis-Skelly returns to north London with his international standing considerably healthier than it was in the summer — and with a manager at both club and country level who appears convinced by where he belongs on the pitch.