Wayne Rooney Calls Myles Lewis-Skelly a No-Brainer for Manchester United
Wayne Rooney has urged Manchester United to pounce on what he calls a transfer “no-brainer” in the shape of Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly – even as the Gunners’ hierarchy insist they want to keep him.
Questions over the 19-year-old’s long-term future at the Emirates have bubbled up in recent weeks, with both United and Chelsea among the clubs offered the chance to sign the versatile prospect by intermediaries. Standard Sport reported that those approaches were made, yet the player himself is not currently pushing to leave Arsenal.
That hasn’t cooled Rooney’s enthusiasm.
Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, the former United captain homed in on the club’s issues at left-back and pointed straight at Lewis-Skelly as a solution.
“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 price tag in the region of £45million, a fee Rooney believes still represents value given Lewis-Skelly’s profile and versatility.
Rooney also framed the situation from Arsenal’s perspective, pointing to the financial logic even if the optics are awkward.
“Arsenal have spent a lot over the last couple of years so selling Lewis-Skelly makes some sense as it would be pure profit. 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, publicly at least, are pushing a very different line.
Club CEO Richard Garlick moved to calm the noise when speaking to talkSPORT, stressing how highly the club rate the teenager after his breakthrough months.
“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 like a firm hands-off message. Then came a subtle twist.
In a separate interview with the BBC, Garlick broadened the picture, acknowledging that Lewis-Skelly – and fellow academy talent Ethan Nwaneri – could still be sold under the right conditions.
“We’re not actively looking at selling those homegrown players, but if the right opportunity came up and it was right for them and right for the club, then we’d obviously consider that,” he said.
So the stance is clear, and yet not closed. Arsenal want to keep Lewis-Skelly. Intermediaries are testing the market. United have a glaring need at left-back and a club legend urging them to act.
If the “right opportunity” lands on Garlick’s desk, the next move will say a lot about how both Arsenal and United intend to build their futures.
