Since making his debut in Manchester City’s 4-0 home victory over Bournemouth in August, 18-year-old Rico Lewis has delighted Pep Guardiola with his emergence into first-team reckoning.
Lewis’s first start for City came in the Champions League against Sevilla, an occasion he marked with his only professional goal to date in a 3-1 win, and he has now amassed 16 appearances for the first team, including six Premier League starts.
Lewis has been used in both full-back positions as well as in central midfield by Guardiola, and he has looked a seasoned veteran wherever he has played with his composure and passing abilities which has turned heads.
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While Guardiola clearly trusts Lewis, the Englishman hasn't pinned down a regular place in the side in recent matches. Pep Guardiola has demonstrated in his time with City that academy players will get the opportunity to play first-team football, Phil Foden being a key example for the likes of Lewis and his peers.
So how can Rico Lewis make sure he succeeds, particularly at a club like City that are likely to turn to the transfer market if players aren’t up to the level Guardiola expects?
Something that will work in the youngster's favour is how versatile he has proved to be - being able to play multiple positions across defence and midfield is an asset not many players in Europe have. Lewis’ ability to excel within City’s midfield is arguably the most impressive aspect of his season, and to play in one of most functioning midfields of the modern era with the composure and prowess he has displayed a level of maturity is almost unheard of for a teenager.
Lewis has had no honeymoon period regarding the opposition he has faced in his limited game-time this season, with the youngster featuring from the start in victories against Arsenal and Liverpool this season. Lewis was also subbed on at half time at Stamford Bridge, a game City would also go onto win. Lewis’ only defeat as a City player was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a ground City are yet to score at since its opening in 2019.
Guardiola has always liked cool-headed midfield players in his squads, with Sergio Busquets being the prime example of this during Guardiola’s Barcelona days. Lewis’ numbers in the midfield are staggering for a player of his age, with an average of 50 touches and 36 passes per game with his passing accuracy sitting at 93%. These stats are made even more impressive when compared to other City midfielders as Lewis averages more accurate passes per game than Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Kalvin Phillips.
Despite his recent prowess in midfield, Lewis’ original position at full-back could offer more opportunities to secure a regular space in City’s eleven particularly with the departure of Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich on loan.
City are yet to sign a replacement for Cancelo and given the manner the Portuguese star left it seems unlikely Cancelo will be returning to the City squad next season. Cancelo had adopted a new role as a left back rather than his usual right-back position before his departure, a position Lewis isn’t particularly familiar with as the majority of his defensive responsibilities have come at right back.
If Lewis was able to showcase the same ability as Cancelo to switch to the left, it would cement Lewis as the most versatile player at the club, a quality that is highly important for a manager like Guardiola and is likely to result in more minutes for the youngster.
If Lewis continues to shine when given the opportunity, he seems destined for greatness at both club and international level. Lewis’ is likely to put pen to paper on a new deal with City in the near future with talks underway as his current contract is set to expire at the end of next season. It would be a deal that would pave the way for Lewis to become a key player for City for years to come and establish the 18-year-old as a member of the first-team squad.
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