Nobody in Mikel Arteta's squad has seen their stock rise more over the last six months than Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Back in mid-April, the then teenage full-back was in danger of being left behind. Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie were firmly ahead of him in the pecking order on the left-hand side of Arsenal's defence, and speculation was starting to circulate, suggesting that the Hale End graduate could find himself on the way out over the summer.
However, as a desperate ploy during a particularly bleak period of Arsenal performances, Arteta moved Lewis-Skelly into midfield. The youngster shone in this new role, and the rest is history.
That said, this resurgence might just come at a cost. All of a sudden, two Arsenal players find themselves in danger of being made surplus to requirements.
It's true that Arsenal will need their entire squad this season. They'll need every single player to play significant minutes if they're to cope with the ridiculously congested fixture schedule and if they're to compete on three fronts.
That said, certain players' roles are uncertain. Ezri Konsa's brilliant form has threatened to make Cristhian Mosquera redundant , and Lewis-Skelly might be doing the same to both Martin Zubimendi and Hincapie.
The 20-year-old has well and truly ousted Zubimendi in the middle of the park, to the extent that the former Real Sociedad man is being limited to short cameos and cup appearances. Last summer's staple midfield signing has played just 295 minutes across all competitions this season, starting two games.
The Spaniard has an even blend of attributes; he's good but not great at almost every aspect of the game. Unfortunately for him, the Gunners have so many specialists in the middle of the park now that Zubimendi is no longer particularly valuable. If they need athleticism and pitch coverage, they have Declan Rice .
If they need press evasion, they have Myles Lewis-Skelly. If they need creativity in the final third and ball progression, they have Bruno Guimaraes. If they need goal threat and physicality, they have Mikel Merino.
Zubimendi no longer solves a specific issue for Arsenal, as there is someone else who does each thing better than he does. He wouldn't have this issue if Lewis-Skelly hadn't been so good in midfield.
Meanwhile, the England international has displayed in recent weeks that he's still a viable left-back option. While Hincapie can still arguably offer more defensive security than both Lewis-Skelly and Calafiori, the instances where this is the priority attribute for Arsenal to have at left-back are fewer and further between.
Both of Hincapie's competitors are better on the ball and offer more to Arsenal as an attacking team than he does.
This doesn't mean its the end for Zubimendi or Hincapie at Arsenal, but they face an uphill battle to regain the level of importance they both had at times last season.
Ultimately, they're both international players in the prime of their careers. They can't afford to spend multiple years on the periphery of a squad, and so, the writing might be on the wall for the duo when it comes to next summer.
This article was originally published on www.paininthearsenal.com as Myles Lewis-Skelly might be leaving the writing on the wall for two stars at Arsenal .
