Rarely does Pep Guardiola’s face light up so much as when conversations turn to Rico Lewis, the Manchester City manager’s latest pet project.
Still only 18 years old, the full-back-cum-midfielder is either keeping Kyle Walker out of the starting line-up altogether or being brought on to change games, rather than see them through.
The former was true on Thursday as City fought back from 2-0 down to Beat Tottenham 4-2. Lewis rode through a stern physical test at the hands of Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg, managing still to find the time and composure to dictate the home side’s tempo from his auxiliary midfield role.
ALSO READ: Rico Lewis shakes off Tottenham tricks to break new City ground
Such was the teenager’s performance on the night, that Guardiola found time within his post-match hailstorm of criticism to break the clouds and let some light in.
“Look at the games,” The Spaniard said of Lewis’ appearances thus far. “Carabao Cup against Chelsea, Carabao Cup against Liverpool. In Leeds - the most aggressive team in the Premier League, they don't give you two seconds. Chelsea, in the second half he arrived and after one minute he changed the game.”
The glint in Guardiola’s eye as he spoke about Lewis, even during Thursday’s extraordinary press conference, is evidence of his love for the young prospect. In June it will be 26 years since he first took a managerial role at Barcelona B, and in that time only a handful of players will have garnered such adoration from such a young age.
More important at elite level than love, however, is trust. That three defeats have left Guardiola’s side five points off the top of the table having played a game more than Arsenal is proof of the fine margins that separate champions from also-rans.
And it is testament to the City manager’s trust in Lewis that the teenager has started three league games in his first true breakthrough season - a feat even Phil Foden could not manage.
The Stockport-born forward was arguably the last player to bring up similar emotions from Guardiola as he broke into the first-team during the 2017/2018 campaign. The then 17-year-old would make five Premier League appearances, all off the bench for a total of 49 minutes.
What’s more telling is that of those five appearances off the bench, four of those came with City already in the lead - the fifth was on the final day of the season, Gabriel Jesus’ 94th-minute winner at Southampton taking them on to 100 points.
Not only has Lewis eclipsed that tally of minutes in his own breakthrough season - 318 so far - but since the turn of the year he has started three and been brought on to change the fourth at Chelsea.
“Rico helped us to play better [and] has the abilities," Guardiola told BBC Sport after the win at Stamford Bridge. "It's not that [he plays well], he makes play better. Every movement he does, every position he makes is always better, he came on and Kevin played better, Riyad played better. He has this ability and it's not easy to find it, so he's our little Philipp Lahm.”
Lewis is proving time and time again that he can be trusted to step up on the biggest occasions, prompting those around him to up their game as well. It’s some quality to have and one with magnified importance during this small but concerning slump in form.
"Every game for me is just a massive surprise," Lewis said after the Spurs win. "I don’t expect to play any games so the games that I have been able to play already…it’s just overwhelming really.
"Right now it’s just playing games and doing as much as I can for the team. I never really feel like it makes much sense to shout about it because it can all go really quickly. While it’s happening just stay level and just enjoy it.”
There’ll be plenty more to enjoy.
READ NEXT
