Wayne Rooney Urges Manchester United to Sign Myles Lewis-Skelly

Wayne Rooney has urged Manchester United to pounce on what he calls a transfer “no-brainer” in Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly – even as the Gunners’ hierarchy publicly insist they want to keep him.

The 19-year-old’s future at the Emirates has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after intermediaries sounded out clubs, including United and Chelsea, about a possible deal. Standard Sport reported that both Premier League sides had been approached, though Lewis-Skelly 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 zeroed in on Lewis-Skelly as a solution to one of his old club’s biggest headaches.

“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, pointing to a reported £45million price tag. “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.”

Rooney also argued that Arsenal’s recent heavy spending could tempt them into a sale.

“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, though, have tried to calm the noise.

Club CEO Richard Garlick moved to shut down talk of an imminent exit when speaking to talkSPORT, stressing the club’s desire to build around their brightest prospects.

“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 definitive. Then came a slight twist.

In a separate interview with the BBC, Garlick adopted a more nuanced stance when asked about Lewis-Skelly and fellow academy product Ethan Nwaneri. The commitment to youth remains, but the door is not bolted shut.

“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.

For now, Lewis-Skelly stays where he is, a prized asset in north London. But with a £45m valuation being talked about, United’s need for a left-back growing, and Arsenal’s hierarchy willing to “consider” the right offer, this is a transfer thread that will not disappear quietly.