Declan Rice thinks two Arsenal wonderkids have developed so much ‘it’s incredible’

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Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal first team is littered with both international superstars and homegrown Hale End academy talents right now.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is brushing shoulders with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes at the back for Arsenal, and it’s quite the sight to see.

Arsenal’s academy has always been famous for developing excellent talent, and Arteta now has three new Hale End graduates in his first team.

Lewis-Skelly is joined by Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman in the senior side set-up, and all three could go on to play more than 50 games for England.

Arsenal are in a good place right now, and their competitive squad is being propped up by some of the best talent north London has to offer.

Declan Rice praises Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly’s progress at Arsenal

That being said, fellow Londoner Declan Rice has now spoken about some of Arsenal’s excellent young talent.

Speaking in a fans interview with TNT Sports, Rice was asked about the likes of Nwaneri, and Lewis-Skelly, who he’s now shared a pitch with for more than a year.

Both Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly were called upon early last season owing to injuries in the squad, and the young duo then ensured that they were here to stay with their excellent performances.

READ MORE: What Arsenal are now saying about Ethan Nwaneri’s progress behind the scenes

Speaking in the interview, Rice praised the duo for how their development both off the pitch, as well as on it.

Rice said: “Ethan and Myles, the difference from last year to this year, like how they’ve grown like as people was like incredible.

“Like they’ll speak to anyone now. They’re like loud, they’re themselves, and that’s what that’s what you want. You want people to feel comfortable.”

Max Dowman has amazed Declan Rice already at Arsenal

In addition to Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly, Rice was also asked about Dowman’s rise to the first team of late.

Rice loved Dowman’s Arsenal debut in August, and the England international now claimed that he’d never seen such a young player be so comfortable in a first team setting.

Rice added: “Max, he’s only 15, just going to be turning 16 in December. I’ve never seen a 15-year-old so comfortable around the first team.

“I said to Max on the way back from pre-season tour, I couldn’t get my head around it, that he was going back to school.”

Of course, Mikel Arteta will be very mindful of Dowman playing too many minutes too soon.

Arteta managed Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly’s integration into the first team superbly, and the Spaniard can be trusted to do the same again.