Declan Rice jokingly warned Myles Lewis-Skelly not to list his England debut shirt on eBay after the Arsenal teenager enjoyed a dream maiden Three Lions appearance. The left-back opened the scoring as Thomas Tuchel’s side kicked off World Cup qualifying with a 2-0 victory.
Lewis-Skelly converted after an excellent pass by Jude Bellingham. He became the youngest player to score on his England debut. Only Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, who were not on the scoresheet in their first international matches, scored when they were younger than Lewis-Skelly’s 18 years and 176 days.
His goal was the latest milestone in a remarkable rise for Lewis-Skelly, who only made his senior Arsenal debut in September. It took him just 20 minutes to score. Bellingham’s defence-splitting pass found the onrushing full-back and the Gunners academy graduate poked the ball through goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha’s legs.
ITV reporter Gabriel Clarke suggested that Lewis-Skelly would need to get his shirt signed and framed. The Arsenal star responded: “I think I’ll have to…”
But team-mate Rice interjected: “Don’t eBay it!”
Rice was not surprised by how well Lewis-Skelly coped on his England debut. The 26-year-old, who plays with the youngster for Arsenal, added: “That’s one word you would use to describe him, he is fearless. He does everything right off the pitch, he prepares himself and he is only 18. I try to look after him as best as I can.
“I knew he was going to play like that tonight because of the confidence he has in himself and the way he has trained all week. What he’s like at the club and what he’s like around the club. His mum, his dad, his brothers, everyone should be so proud of him because his rise this year has been unreal. He has kept his feet on the ground and it is only the start for him, so he’s got to keep going.”
Lewis-Skelly said: “I’m lost for words. I am so grateful for the manager to put trust in me. I am so happy. The fans made me feel at home so thank you to them.”
He was made aware of being the third-youngest scorer for the England men’s team and laughed before adding: “That’s incredible. Incredible. I’ve got nothing to say really. That’s just amazing.”
England largely performed well in Tuchel’s first game in charge but struggled to add further goals after Lewis-Skelly’s opener. Harry Kane eventually made it 2-0 in the 77th minute with a smart touch and finish.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk