Arsenal call schoolboy sensation up to first-team squad for Dubai training camp

Arsenal will take a schoolboy on their mid-season trip to Dubai as they look to remain primed for the second-half of the campaign.

Myles Lewis-Skelly will reportedly travel out with the Gunners first-team, that is depleted due to the amount of World Cup absentees. The like of Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Granit Xhaka and William Saliba are all away, but it has opened the door for the highly-rated teenager, according to the Arsenal Youth blog.

The talented midfielder has recently broken into Arsenal's U21 squad, coming on as a sub in a game with Northampton. However, his involvement in the trip to the Middle East could see him miss out on the U18s' FA Youth Cup third round clash with Millwall.

Lewis-Skelly has an impressive history with the north Londoners, scoring on his debut for the U18s as an U14 player against Reading in May 2021. The 16-year-old will be part of next season's scholarship programme if he chooses to stay at the club.

Arsenal go into the World Cup break with a five point lead at the top of the Premier League, having surprised many with their sensational start to the season. Mikel Arteta's outfit are set to fly to Dubai on December 5 before playing Lyon on December 8 and AC Milan on December 13 in friendly matches.

The Spanish coach said: "It's an easy trip as one of the biggest sponsors we have in Emirates is part of it, plus we've been there and know the facilities and it's a really good environment to work. The weather is spectacular and then the World Cup is so close, so for any player that is around there, it is so easy to get them back straight away.

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"I think it ticks all the boxes that we need. We need good preparation mentally and physically to be ready for the huge demands that the second part of the season is going to bring to the team."

A host of top clubs will be fearful of the impact the first ever winter World Cup will have on their season. Some teams will benefit, whilst others won't, but Arteta insists the tournament doesn't disrupt the schedule any more than it would in the summer.

"We've got a pre-season; not a full pre-season but a really good three weeks of preparation," he added. "We're going to have to get the team ready in different phases because we're going to have certain players at the start, some players in the middle and certain players at the end of it, in relation to what happens at the World Cup. It's not really different to any summer when there is a European competition or a World Cup."

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