Watch: Arsenal’s Lewis-Skelly scores insane solo goal for England U17s

Planet Football • 29 Oct 2022

Arsenal starlet Myles Lewis-Skelly showed the Hale End conveyor belt of talent just doesn’t stop with an eye-catching performance for England’s Under-17s.

England’s Young Lions beat Georgia’s Under-17s 6-2 in a qualifier for next summer’s European Championships.

Tylor Dibling stole the headlines with a hat-trick, while his Southampton youth team-mate Jimmy-Jay Morgan scored a brace, but it was Arsenal’s Lewis-Skelly that caught the eye with the best goal of the lot.

The 16-year-old midfielder was playing at the base of midfield, but he showed a brilliant mix of tenacity and technique to burst forward from deep in his own half, beat five Georgia defenders, bustle through and eventually finish. The goal put England’s Under-17s 4-1 up, putting the result beyond doubt shortly before half-time.

Last season, Lewis-Skelly scored on his debut for Arsenal’s Under-18s when he was still technically an Under-14 player. He’s still not eligible to sign scholarship terms until next year, but on this evidence he’s definitely one worth keeping an eye on.

It will be fascinating to see how he progresses under the guidance of Under-18s coach Jack Wilshere. He’ll be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Wilshere in progressing from Hale End into the Arsenal first team, with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe treading that path more recently.

The Young Lions final group qualifier is against Israel on Monday, with the top spot still up for grabs. The Under-17s European Championships take place in Hungary next summer.

Lewis-Skelly will be hoping to feature in the competition. Recent years have seen England’s Under-17s enjoy great success in the major youth tournaments, with a number of today’s England international first cutting their cloth at that level.

Ross Barkley and Conor Coady were among those that featured for England as the Under-17s won the European Championships back in 2010. Joe Gomez and Dominic Solanke were among the Young Lions that featured when they retained the trophy in 2014.

And in 2017, England’s Under-17 World Cup-winning side featured Phil Foden, Conor Gallagher, Fikayo Tomori and Jadon Sancho.

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