David Ornstein has revealed that Manchester United manager Michael Carrick had his sights set on Myles Lewis-Skelly before INEOS made a sudden U-turn to sign Carlos Baleba, a decision that is already causing problems at Old Trafford with Luke Shaw now nursing a knock.
United spent over £150 million on midfielders this summer, bringing in Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba from Brighton in a £70 million deal. But according to Ornstein’s Q&A for The Athletic, the third midfielder was not Carrick’s first priority, and the left-back position was where his focus actually lay.
Lewis-Skelly emerged as the leading left-back candidate after it became clear that Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall could not be attained. United had also looked at Man City’s Rayan Ait-Nouri on loan, but were unwilling to commit to the obligation-to-buy City were demanding, given he is not seen as their long-term solution in that position.
That left Arsenal’s 19-year-old as the primary option, only for the club’s hierarchy to pivot suddenly back towards midfield with the Baleba deal, leaving the left-back problem unresolved heading into the new season.
Shaw’s latest injury absence has only sharpened the focus on what now looks like a significant oversight, and United are already understood to be lining up alternatives ahead of the January window.
Ornstein’s inside scoop
Ornstein was precise in his account of the sequence of events at Old Trafford during the final weeks of the summer window.
“I heard Carrick’s focus was the left-back first, and that’s when Lewis-Skelly came into the picture, after it was clear Lewis Hall couldn’t be attained,” Ornstein said. “And then, suddenly, they pivoted back to the midfielder with Carlos Baleba. And then at the end it was, ‘Can we squeeze in a midfielder/left-back?'”
He added: “I respect that they didn’t want to do something just for the sake of it, which could have come back to haunt them, and they felt they had options, with Luke Shaw, with Patrick Dorgu, with Harry Amass, with Noussair Mazraoui if needed, but it does now look a bit like an oversight that you would suspect is addressed sooner rather than later.”
What this means for Arsenal
From an Arsenal perspective, the story serves as a timely reminder of just how highly Lewis-Skelly is regarded across the division. Wayne Rooney called a potential move a “no-brainer” for United earlier this summer, and now Ornstein has confirmed the club’s manager shared that view, only to be overruled by those above him.
Arsenal CEO Richard Garlick made clear the club are very happy with Lewis-Skelly and are not actively looking to sell, yet did leave a small window open by acknowledging that the right opportunity would be considered. With United now scrambling for left-back cover and their manager having already identified the Arsenal teenager as his preferred solution, the January window could yet bring renewed interest.
For now, Lewis-Skelly remains at the Emirates, and given Arsenal’s perfect start to the season, and Lewis Skelly’s excellent start playing in midfield it seems a move is now incredibly unlikely.