Wayne Rooney Urges Manchester United to Sign Myles Lewis-Skelly
Wayne Rooney has urged Manchester United to pounce on what he calls a transfer “no-brainer” in Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly – just as the Gunners’ hierarchy send mixed signals over the teenager’s future.
The 19-year-old’s name has been circulating around recruitment departments in recent weeks, with both United and Chelsea among the clubs offered the chance to sign him by intermediaries. Standard Sport reported that those approaches had been made, yet the player himself is not currently pushing to leave the Emirates Stadium.
That hasn’t cooled Rooney’s enthusiasm.
On the Stick to United podcast, the former United captain homed in on Lewis-Skelly as a solution to one of Erik ten Hag’s most obvious problems.
“I don’t think you can rely on Luke Shaw to be consistent for the whole season and that leads me to Myles Lewis-Skelly,” Rooney said. “We’re hearing that he could be available for not that much money, so I think that’s an absolute no-brainer.
“If you can get a player in who can play left-back and centre-midfield, that’s an absolute no-brainer. He’s young and he’s got a massive future ahead of him.”
Reports have suggested a fee in the region of £45million would be required, a significant outlay but one Rooney believes still represents value given United’s glaring need at left-back.
“Arsenal have spent a lot over the last couple of years so selling Lewis-Skelly makes some sense as it would be pure profit,” he continued. “I don’t think it would be a great look but I can see why they might sell him.
“If you’re United and he becomes available it’s a no-brainer, they definitely need to bring in a left-back, that’s a priority for United.”
Arsenal, at least publicly, are pushing a different line.
Chief executive Richard Garlick moved to calm the noise when speaking to talkSPORT, stressing how highly the club rate the academy product after his breakthrough at the end of last season.
“Myles has had a fantastic end to last season and he started this season really well and as I say we're always looking to retain and build on our best players,” Garlick said. “Obviously there may be speculation, I'm not going to go into that from other clubs but we're very happy with Myles and the position he's in at the club.”
That sounded definitive. Then came a slight twist.
In a separate interview with the BBC, Garlick broadened the picture, admitting that Lewis-Skelly – and fellow homegrown talent Ethan Nwaneri – could yet be sold under the right conditions.
“We’re not actively looking at selling those homegrown players,” he said, “but if the right opportunity came up and it was right for them and right for the club, then we’d obviously consider that.”
So Arsenal insist they want to “retain and build” around Lewis-Skelly, while also acknowledging that a sizeable offer could change the equation. United have been told of the opportunity. Rooney has made his stance clear.
Now the question is whether Old Trafford turns admiration into a bid, or whether Arsenal’s latest academy gem becomes another test of how firmly they can hold their nerve in a volatile market.
