Manchester City’s academy is fast earning the title of one of the best academies in Europe.
Phil Foden and Cole Palmer are currently competing for first-team minutes, while the likes of Kasper Schmeichel, Kelechi Iheanacho and Joey Barton have played in the academy at one point or another.
The prestigious club may have another youthful talent on their hands in full-back Rico Lewis.
Lewis Rico’s Career Path
Rico Lewis has been playing for City since 2020, having started several games for the Under-18s that year.
He was dominant for the under-18s in the 2021-22 season, rising to the under-21s for six games. Lewis would get his first-team chance on Manchester City’s 2022 summer pre-season tour.
He played a few minutes in the matches against América and Bayern, and 45 minutes against Barça.
Advance season 2022/2023
Impressive performances saw him break into the senior team at the start of the season, playing eight minutes against Bournemouth in August.
There were indications that Pep Guardiola and the City staff had plans for Lewis, as he played 15 minutes in City’s 6-0 win over Forest and trained frequently with the senior team.
Although he saw greater playing opportunities off the bench against Copenhagen and Southampton, his next big move came in November when he started against Sevilla in the Champions League.
Lewis was phenomenal throughout the game. The teenager closed down the right flank as he provided ample offense and even scored a goal.
After Sevilla lost possession outside the box, Julián Álvarez brought in Lewis, and the Englishman’s perfect shot earned him his first senior goal.
The minutes have been piling up for Lewis.
His starts against Chelsea and Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, minutes in the Premier League against Leeds and Everton, and a great game in the FA Cup against Arsenal have made Lewis one of the most sought-after youngsters of the moment.
With a list of big games to come (Spurs, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Forest), Lewis is likely to experience more playing time. João Cancelo’s departure has prompted pundits to suggest that Lewis could be the perfect Cancelo replacement.
fluidity and flexibility
Lewis fits perfectly into the typical Pep archetype.
He’s a right-back by trade, but his natural agility and strength coupled with knowledge of positioning mean he can link up in midfield. Pep even went so far as to nickname him Phillipp Lahm, whom he used frequently while at Bayern.
It is solid while in possession.
He completes 92% of his passes and rarely dribbles with the ball, and has created eight shots through his passes. It is not only indicative of Pep’s great offensive possession, but also his playmaking abilities.
The teenager can be seen making impressive first touches, firing accurate long balls and splitting youth defenses with his incisive dribbling.
Of course, Lewis’s creativity has been held back by the strength of Premier League defenders and Pep’s tactical ideals, but there are traces of his artistry when he plays.
On defense, Lewis is tenacious and battle-hardened despite standing at 5’6. His defensive identity is evident from kick-off; he physical, practical and without fear of getting stuck.
We’ve seen him hunt down and defeat players from Mohamed Salah to Christian Pulisic, thanks to his explosive pace and audacity.
With Lewis’s newfound quality a different problem arises; How will veteran winger Kyle Walker get minutes?
Despite being England’s first-choice right-back, Walker was left on the bench for the important games against Tottenham in the Premier League and Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Some of Walker’s recent omissions relate to Pep’s new tactical adjustments.
City have lined up in a 3-2-4-1, with three central defenders and two midfielders. Lewis’s abilities, similar to Lahm’s, allow him to play as a midfielder, which means he can easily fit into the line-up.
However, Walker has played over 95% of his games as a right-back. He has little to no experience playing midfield or central defender.
Regardless of the reasons or the statistics behind Pep’s decision to sit out the 32-year-old defender, Walker remains upset about his lack of playing time.
His contract expires in 2024, so although he will stay at City for a few months or so, it is likely that he will transfer in the summer.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Action Plus
