“He touched on his belief in visualisation and gave examples of other athletes and the processes that have inspired him, such as Kobe Bryant’s ‘mamba mentality’ for having a killer instinct on the court. Lewis-Skelly spoke about his desire to keep the No. 49 shirt, because of what it means to him, the club and its supporters.”

An 18-year-old presenting to senior figures is rare - but Lewis-Skelly is a rare talent, and now one of the highest-paid teenage footballers

Myles Lewis-Skelly resisted interest from Real Madrid to commit to a new deal with Arsenal this week. The teenage left-back, after this past season's first team and England breakthrough, signed a new long-term contract with the Gunners on Thursday. But The Times says Lewis-Skelly put pen to paper only after fielding interest from Real Madrid.