It's extremely rare that Pep Guardiola makes such a bold statement about one of his talented young players. Or even one of his senior players.
"We had the privilege to almost announce that this guy will take a big decade, will be an absolutely incredible player for Manchester City in the next years," Guardiola boasted after Manchester City beat Liverpool, helped by an all-action performance from 18-year-old Lewis.
That's some praise for a player with only a handful of appearances to his name, and Guardiola is often keen to downplay expectations for his academy graduates. Maybe Lewis is different to those that have come before him, though.
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Lewis' confidence and ability was obvious from his fearless cameo in pre-season against Bayern Munich, of all teams, where the teenager jinked through the defence and struck the post from a tight angle in Green Bay. Even last season, he earned a promotion to the under-18s and then the under-23s to earn two academy league titles in one season.
His fierce near-post finish against Sevilla, to become the youngest Champions League goalscorer on his first start, was identical to his goal in the under-23s' last-day demolition of Everton at the Etihad last season. Whenever he gets a chance, he takes it.
So it was hardly surprising, especially after his goalscoring performance against Sevilla, that Lewis took his Liverpool start in his stride on Thursday. Not only did he spend all game racing up and down City's right, but he spent a large part of the game linking possession in defensive midfield, earning a 'man of the match' assessment from Guardiola.
With the boss declaring that Lewis' off-the-ball intelligence and quick-learning makes him a candidate for City's right-back spot for the next decade, it would be easy to get carried away. Especially when Guardiola sets extremely high standards for his senior players - such as Kevin De Bruyne, who was told he could still improve despite back-to-back stunners earlier this season earning vital points.
Despite Guardiola's praise, though, City will also know that Lewis has only just turned 18 and has plenty still to learn. Against Liverpool for example, it was noticeable that the visitors' first goal came from left-winger Fabio Carvalho who had drifted inside unchallenged, while the second saw Lewis stranded upfield and Darwin Nunez race down the right to set up Mo Salah.
And with Guardiola also praising fellow full-back Josh Wilson-Esbrand in pre-season before he has been involved in fewer matchday squads recently, it wouldn't take long for Lewis to drop out of contention as he deals with his rapid rise.
Just like Cole Palmer, and Phil Foden before him - or even the likes of Eric Garcia, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Tommy Doyle - who have shown that they can challenge for the first team as teenagers, managing expectations could be the key to getting the best out of Lewis in the long-term.
While Guardiola can see Lewis being a key part of City's squad for the next decade, his only focus this season should be to continue supporting the first team and supplementing his came time with the youth team.
It's an approach that has uncovered which talents are better off staying around Guardiola's squad, and who needs to get experience elsewhere, so it's a process Lewis should trust and embrace.
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