Arsenal protege Myles Lewis-Skelly has signed his first professional contract with the Gunners, the club has confirmed.
Regarded as one of the most promising youngsters in the Hale End academy, the 17-year-old joined the North London giants in 2015 and is now an integral player for the club's Under-21 team.
Lewis-Skelly has come up with one goal and three assists from six matches in the centre of the park this season, and he has already played 14 games in total for the Under-21s.
The 2006-born starlet achieved an identical tally in last year's FA Youth Cup, scoring against Manchester City in the semi-finals and setting up three more across the competition as Jack Wilshere's side lost 5-1 to West Ham United in the final.
Capable of playing as a number eight and defensive midfielder, Lewis-Skelly made his first two appearances for England's Under-18s in September, starting in two friendly defeats to France and Portugal.
"It means the world to me, my boyhood club ever since I can remember. To play for Arsenal, I'm truly speechless," Lewis-Skelly told arsenal.com after penning professional terms.
"It feels amazing. I'm so delighted because, since I was a boy, I've been dreaming of this moment. To say that I'm a professional football player now is a dream come true for me and I just want to thank all the staff and all my family that came to support me. For the support around me, I couldn't be any more grateful.
"I'm so happy that the club has shown this faith in me. I think that I've put in the work as well, so it's good to see the club putting the faith in me."
Lewis-Skelly is yet to make his competitive first-team debut for Arsenal, but he was part of Mikel Arteta's squad for their winter training camp in Dubai, where he featured in a 3-0 Dubai Super Cup win over Lyon.
The 17-year-old also came off the bench in a summer friendly with German second-tier side Nurnberg, not long after playing five games for England at the Under-17 European Championships, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Having continued to train alongside Arteta's senior stars, Lewis-Skelly has set his sights on a maiden first-team appearance in the coming months, adding: "I know it will be quite tough but the next objective is to break through to the first team.
"I believe that my ability and mindset can really distinguish me from the rest. Hopefully, if they give me opportunities, I can take them and keep working, keep my head down, and hopefully the results can take care of themselves.
"It's so good just to learn from the players, learn their good habits and implement them into my game so I can keep developing and enjoy that environment because I like to ask questions and learn from the best. I can't complain.
"It's so important for me to keep me motivated because there can be opportunities given to the young players. Me seeing that makes me believe it even more and be more hungry to get there."
As well as Lewis-Skelly's first professional contract, Arsenal tied fellow academy prospect Ethan Nwaneri down to scholarship terms in July, after the 16-year-old became the Premier League's youngest-ever player against Brentford last year. body check tags ::
