Thomas Tuchel has explained his decision to leave Myles Lewis-Skelly out of the latest England squad, insisting the Arsenal youngster “needed more starts, more minutes” and had been “outperformed” by Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly in recent weeks.
The Arsenal youngster has found minutes harder to come by under Mikel Arteta this campaign, making only two starts and three substitute appearances since the last international break. While he has started matches in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup, he is yet to start a Premier League match after making 15 league starts last season.
Tuchel was blunt in his assessment, saying Lewis-Skelly “needed more starts, more minutes” and had been “outperformed” by Nico O’Reilly, who has impressed for Manchester City in recent weeks.
“Myles was a very good team-mate and played for us in the last camp in the World Cup qualifier in Riga, so was Ruben Loftus-Cheek, so was Morgan Gibbs-White and James Trafford,” Tuchel said.
“But I said last time there is a component to it that it’s about competition and performance and the door is always open for guys who perform on a regular and high level.
“Myles, Ruben and Morgan got out-performed by Nico O’Reilly, Alex Scott, Nick Pope and Jude in their positions.
“Myles simply needs more starts, more minutes. Now came a time when Nico O’Reilly had so many starts in that position, so he is slightly ahead for this camp.” O’Reilly has played just 90 minutes more than Lewis-Skelly since the Latvia game, although he has played twice the minutes over the course of the season and made six league starts for City this season.
Lewis-Skelly started England’s 5-0 win in Latvia in October, the game that sealed qualification for the 2026 World Cup, but his reduced involvement at club level since then has apparently made it difficult for Tuchel to keep him in the squad. The teenager has still amassed 463 minutes this season, but only 86 of those have come in the Premier League.
Now valued at €45 million and tied to a long-term contract until 2030, the 19-year-old remains part of England’s plans for the future. But for now, the national manager has chosen players who are playing more regularly.
Lewis-Skelly’s omission, then, is more a reflection of circumstance than ability. His talent is undisputed, but Tuchel’s message is clear: regular football, not potential, decides selection at this stage of England’s World Cup preparations.