Arsenal star labelled 'incredible' has Carragher and Neville in agreement
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville believe Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly is the Young Player of the Season, with the 18-year-old defender enjoying an "incredible" breakout season
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have hailed Arsenal's teenage sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly and named the 18-year-old as their pick for Young Player of the Season. Lewis-Skelly has enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Gunners, making 38 appearances across all competitions.
The defender has also earned two England caps under new manager Thomas Tuchel, but he did not make the Premier League's shortlist for their Young Player of the Season award despite both Carragher and Neville believing he deserves to win it.
Sharing their picks for a number of end-of-season awards on Sky Sports ' Monday Night Football, Carragher compared Lewis-Skelly to Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney. "At 18 you're a baby," Carragher said.
"The thought you could win Young Player of the Year at that age. That's something that Michael Owen does or Wayne Rooney, absolute superstars. I couldn't believe he wasn't on that list. The reason I went for him was how well he played in big games that I've watched.
"Against Man City, against Liverpool, in the Bernabeu [against Real Madrid ]. It was more five or six big performance in big venues. I remember going to those venues at 23-24 and that was a lot for me.
"To actually go there and play well, you felt like you needed to be in your peak to go to these big stadiums and play really well and feel comfortable. To be doing that at 18. Wow!"
Neville also branded Lewis-Skelly "incredible", with the teenager making the most of his opportunity at left-back after the likes of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori were sidelined with injuries early on in the campaign.
"That's been a massive problem position for Arsenal," Neville explained. "And he's gone in and looked like it's his and he's always been there. That's the biggest compliment you can give to a young player, they just slot in.
"[Bukayo] Saka's done it in the last few years. To go in that position and do what he's done. The ability to take the ball in the biggest games in tight situations. It's incredible what he's doing."
And Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been delighted with Lewis-Skelly's progression this season, describing him as a "very rare" talent after impressing in a north London derby win earlier this year.
"At 18 years old, playing against [Dejan] Kulusevski and [Brennan] Johnson in a big London derby for the first time, to perform with that composure again," Arteta said. "With that attitude, that control, emotionally, it's very rare to see.
"It makes everybody at the club very proud. He's been in our system for a very long time. The kind of education that the academy has given to our boys to get prepared, and then we have to pick them in the moment that we believe they are ready.
"With him, it was early and in a different position, because he has never played as a full-back before. He responded in the manner of his own, which is a joy to watch."
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