“You’ll get money thrown at you” - Gary Neville warns Arsenal talent Myles Lewis-Skelly about ‘pitfalls’ waiting to pull him down

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has advised Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly to keep his head down and stay focused on his career. Lewis-Skelly scored a fine goal as the Gunners secured a 5-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday, February 2.

Speaking after the game on Sky Sports, Neville added that Lewis-Skelly reminded him of former Arsenal full-back Ashley Cole.

"I actually mentioned Ashley Cole when he first came on the scene, that's sort of something that just catches your eye and you think 'oh, this is different' and Lewis-Skelly is different. He's got a long way to go, don't get carried away, there are lots of pitfalls out there," said Neville.

He continued:

"You'll get money thrown at you, there'll be distractions thrown at you, there'll be lots of things that you'd like to do that you can't do as a young football player."

"Forget it, you can do it when you're 35 - you've got 15 years in front of you, concentrate for 15 years on doing this and doing it well. But watching him today, yeah it was brilliant, I think he's a good defender. He's got a real intent about him."

The 18-year-old left-back rose through the ranks at the Emirates and broke into the first team this season. He has appeared 19 times for Arsenal so far, 11 of which were starts, registering one goal and one assist.

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Will Arsenal sign a new No. 9 this year?

Mikel Arteta

Arsenal lack a proven goalscorer in their squad and have been linked with attacking reinforcements of late. Recent reports have stated that the Gunners have their eyes on Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.

It has also been suggested that the north London side could pursue a late move for the Serbian before the winter transfer window closes on Monday, February 3. Vlahovic's contract with Juventus expires in less than 18 months and he hasn't agreed to a new deal yet.

Arsenal have had their eyes on Vlahovic for ages and were also linked with the player when he exploded onto the scenes at Fiorentina. It is believed that Juventus could let him go for around £54m.

The Gunners recently lost Gabriel Jesus to an ACL injury and the Brazilian isn't expected to play again this year. A move for Vlahovic, as such, makes sense. While Mikel Arteta's team have been quite prolific in the final third, a proven striker could help them hit a higher gear.