Thomas Tuchel Questioned Over Lewis-Skelly Comment in England News Conference

England manager Thomas Tuchel has been questioned by fans after detailing what Myles Lewis-Skelly must do to stay in the Three Lions squad.

Lewis-Skelly was named as part of the latest selection to take on Wales and Latvia during the upcoming international break.

The 20-year-old has been a regular feature for England since Tuchel's appointment and scored in his first game in charge.

Lewis-Skelly was Arsenal's first-choice left-back in the second half of last season but has started just two games in all competitions this term.

He has been demoted by Mikel Arteta following Riccardo Calafiori's return from a knee injury which kept him out of the closing weeks of last season.

During his news conference after the latest England squad was announced, Tuchel was asked about Lewis-Skelly's lack of game time and whether it could prevent him from being included in later selections.

"It maybe becomes a problem for him, yeah," Tuchel said.

"To just be a good citizen in camp will not be enough over the course of the year. He was a very good player in camp, a very good team-mate in camp, but to just be a good team-mate in camp can maybe not be enough to stay with us for the whole year.

"It becomes a problem for him, it may not be enough" 😬

Does Myles Lewis-Skelly risk missing out on a place in England's World Cup squad due to his lack of starts for Arsenal, despite showing 'outstanding' behaviour throughout his time under Thomas Tuchel? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/EXcbkTEmH6

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 3, 2025

"Of course, you have to perform at club level on a regular basis. In the last camp, he got the credit that I was convinced that we have to take care of him and nominate him, because we accelerated his career, it was our responsibility to call him up in the first place at the end of last season. So we stick to this.

"He was part of a very successful [last] camp, so he gets the reward for that. But he was not part of the 20-man squad in the match against Serbia.

"Still, his behaviour was outstanding, his training, attitude, attitude to push and support the guys on the pitch, was outstanding and on the highest level."

While fans did not question the logic of Tuchel's statement, given that other left-backs have been performing regularly this season, some pointed out Tuchel's praise of Jordan Henderson's leadership abilities last season and have claimed that he should not have been selected back then.

The 35-year-old has since moved from Ajax back to the Premier League with Brentford, and has enjoyed a solid start to the season which could put him in a strong position to play at the World Cup.

It can also be argued, of course, that Henderson was getting regular first team football at Ajax, unlike Lewis-Skelly's situation.

One fan wrote: "He includes Jordan Henderson every time."

A second asked: "That's literally the reason he has picked Henderson?"

A third wrote: "And Jordan Henderson is in the squad... why?"

Meanwhile, a fourth took a different view: "Ignores Tyrick Mitchell and Adam Wharton and then calls up Lewis-Skelly and Jordan Henderson."