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'He wasn't interested' - Rio Ferdinand singles out Arsenal star for huge praise after Spurs win

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand
-Credit:Getty Images


Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has praised Myles Lewis-Skelly's performance in Arsenal's North London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.

Lewis-Skelly, 18, started at left-back as the Gunners came from behind to beat Spurs at the Emirates Stadium and move to within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

By starting the game, the England youth international became the youngest Arsenal player to start a Premier League match against Spurs since Cesc Fabregas in April 2005.

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And during his 87 minutes on the field, Lewis-Skelly had the highest pass-completion rate of any other starter in the fixture, as well as winning 75 per cent of his duels.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, former United and England defender Ferdinand was left in awe of the youngster's performance.

"You know what he done there? He played like he weren't interested," said Ferdinand. "He played like he weren't interested then he pounced and read the ball beautifully."

Ferdinand, however, wasn't the only big name to wax lyrical about Lewis-Skelly's performance in Wednesday night's victory as team-mate Declan Rice also paid tribute to the defender's performance.

"The young boy Myles, he's just unbelievable. For 18, what he showed tonight was just ridiculous. It's scary. It's scary," said Rice.

"The 18-year-olds now, they've got no fear whatsoever. He's got that Mousa Dembele trait where he uses his body to get away from stuff. The personality and character, honestly he's unbelievable."