Rico Lewis' rise into Manchester City's senior squad has been meteoric, and Pep Guardiola can't help but shower praise on the versatile youngster.

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• Guardiola praises Lewis' versatility
• Lewis becoming a starter for Man City
• Started all six matches this season

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lewis made his Manchester City debut in 2022 and had been one of the fringe players for Guardiola, the same continued at the start of last season. However, with Kyle Walker ageing and a number of injuries hitting City's squad towards the end of the season, Lewis became a regular in the first team having played in a number of positions.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  So far this season, Lewis has started all of Manchester City's games and is likely to do so again against Arsenal as well. The 19-year-old has mainly played as a defensive midfielder for Guardiola but also fulfilled the duties of a full-back during their last game against Brentford. The Spanish coach has not shied away from praising the England international for his versatility.

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  WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  Speaking to the media, Guardiola said: “He can play in all positions.

  “I see sometimes when players are asked, they say ‘yeah I’m a holding midfielder’ or ‘I am a winger’ – Rico can play football and you put him in a position, and he knows exactly what he has to do.

  “All the games he has played so far, he has been really, really good and that’s why he’s deserved the minutes he has had so far.

  “He’s so good in so many aspects – he always wins the ball, he’s so intelligent defensively and so aggressive one vs one.

  “He played against one of the best wingers in Europe and of course he can come in midfield and play, or centrally and arrive in the final third with intelligence and do many things, but he’s a really, really good defender.”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR LEWIS?

  The 19-year-old is likely to be a starter yet again for Guardiola when Manchester City take on Arsenal on Sunday evening as they look to extend their lead atop the Premier League.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News