Myles Lewis-Skelly: “I can’t tell you how excited I am”

When Myles Lewis-Skelly answered the phone last week to who he thought might have been the new England men’s head coach, Thomas Tuchel, he was disappointed to discover it wasn’t who he was hoping it could be.

Fortunately, the 18 year old received the news he had his fingers crossed in preparation for just a day later as he was named in Tuchel’s first-ever Three Lions squad, marking the youngster’s first call-up to represent his country at senior level.

“Initially, the day before I got the call-up, I was on the phone with my friends and I got a call when I was on the phone with them,” recalled Lewis-Skelly.

“It said no number so I told my friends, ‘one second, I need to take this call’. I’m thinking, ‘there’s a good chance that it could be a call-up’ but I ended up picking up and it was Uber Eats for my mum! I was like, ‘ah, man’. Then the next day, I got a text confirming it.”

And the teenager, who has represented England from under-16s right through to the under-19s, was overcome with joy after receiving the news.

“I was just over the moon, running around the house,” continued Lewis-Skelly. “It was a good moment for me and my family.

“I was just so happy because it’s such a big step and a big achievement. I was just so proud of myself and so grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity.”

It’s been a whirlwind six months for the Arsenal midfielder, described as ‘nothing but impressive’ by the Three Lions boss when speaking on the squad announcement last Friday.

Having putting pen to paper on his first professional deal with Arsenal in October 2023, the Denmark Hill-born starlet made his debut for the Gunners the following year in September, making a cameo appearance against Manchester City.

🥹😂 https://t.co/opoibU64DZ pic.twitter.com/GVgtLV7k1E

— England (@England) March 18, 2025

With 27 appearances in all competitions under his belt for the Londoners – who sit second in the Premier League standings – and counting this term, Tuchel found space for Lewis-Skelly in his first squad.

“It's been incredible,” said Lewis-Skelly. “There’s been so much to take in, but I feel like every moment, I’ve been present and I’ve taken it day by day. It’s something that you dream of and when it actually comes, obviously I visualised it and I work towards these moments but when it actually comes, you’re still so happy.

“I would say that it hasn’t been by accident because I’ve put in the work and I’ve really had self-belief and trust in my ability to do what I’m doing.”

Upon last week’s announcement, Tuchel noted that although his decision sees Lewis-Skelly’s international career fast tracked, the England head coach explained that it is deservedly so, having been impressed by the youngster’s performance at club levels so far in 2024-25.

“It’s important because just to meet him and see what he’s like and how he acts around the group and he’s very good,” reflected Lewis-Skelly. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to start working. That’s what I’ve come here for – to impress him and impress the boys and really cement my place in the teams.

“There’s a lot of new faces and a lot of new people, so just to get to know everyone is a lot but the boys are very nice and they’ve helped me settle in very well which is good.”

And Lewis-Skelly could make his debut in the Three Lions’ Wembley double header later this month. Tuchel’s side entertain Albania on Friday 21 March (7.45pm GMT) at the home of English football before hosting Latvia on Monday 24 March (7.45pm GMT) in their European Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.