Photo: Arteta calls up 16-year-old Arsenal defensive midfielder to first-team training during World Cup break

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Arsenal appear to have returned to training today and young gem Myles Lewis-Skelly has been spotted being put through his paces at London Colney.

The Gunners won’t have wanted the World Cup break to come. They’re enjoying a brilliant campaign and sit five points clear of Manchester City.

Arsenal have a plethora of stars out in Qatar. As a result, the training that has resumed will largely see fringe players and academy stars out on the grass.

Lewis-Skelly is a burgeoning talent that the Gunners have high hopes for. He’s only 16-years-old and is typically found turning out for the under-18s.

The youngster plays as a defensive midfielder and he’s also been capped 10 times for the England under-17 ranks.

Mikel Arteta will be short of numbers with several of his squad at the World Cup. As a result, Lewis-Skelly will have a chance to prove himself to his gaffer.

The player has featured against EFL clubs twice this season. He came on as a substitute in games against Northampton and Stevenage in the EFL Trophy.

Clearly, the Gunners have high hopes for him. His spell training with the first-team might prove shortlived but it will allow Arteta to run the rule over him.

Lewis-Skelly spotted in Arsenal training

It’s difficult to imagine the player getting the nod to play for the first team any time soon; especially given the team’s current form.

That said, the Gunners do have a very rich history of utilising their academy ranks though and this step will delight the fan base.

Arteta has been a big advocate of playing younger players. Clearly, he won’t be abandoning that approach and Lewis-Skelly should benefit from training with better players.

Lewis-Skelly is built well already for a player so young and Arteta might fancy training with the senior ranks as the next step in his development.

The youngster looks like he’s set for a bright future and he should benefit from training with the first team.