‘Something special’
Guardiola all praise for teen sensation Lewis after City down Sevilla
PEP GUARDIOLA hailed Rico Lewis as “something special” after the teenager became Manchester City’s youngest Champions League goalscorer yesterday.
The right-back, aged 17 years and 346 days, marked his first senior start by netting City’s equaliser as they came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-1 in their final Champions League group game.
It was a sweet moment for the Manchester-born youngster, who took full advantage of an opportunity to play in the continuing absence of injured England international Kyle Walker.
“We don’t give presents because he is a Man City fan or from the academy,” said City manager Guardiola. “You have to earn it.
“But we’ve seen him since day one of pre-season. This guy has something special.
“Defensively he is aggressive and with the ball he is so good. Of course he has a lot to improve but the academy here is working amazingly.”
Lewis’ strike early in the second half cancelled out a first-half header from Rafa Mir and City went on to win comfortably with further goals from Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez.
Lewis was substituted five minutes from time and, as he was on the far side of the field at the time, earned a huge reception as he walked around the field back to the bench.
“He made a standing ovation all the way round,” said Guardiola. “He played really good.
“He is 17 years old but he is so clever, so intelligent. You say something, he understands everything. I’m happy for him.”
Guardiola says Lewis will have to be patient because the competition for the right-back slot, where Cancelo, Manuel Akanji and John Stones – all internationals who are likely to be at the World Cup later this month – have featured
this term, have more experience.
But he will get more chances, potentially as soon as next week’s Carabao Cup third round tie with Chelsea.
And that, according to Guardiola, is great news for a club that, for all the money they have spent on star players, has also developed the likes of Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Brahim Diaz and Cole Palmer, who also started against Sevilla.
“Sometimes you think we’ll have to buy fullbacks, knowing how expensive it is,” said the City manager.
“But we can give someone from the academy the chance. That’s the dream. It is good for the economy of the club and we can rely on him. I am very pleased with the way they are working.”
Evidently, Lewis has a long road ahead if he is to make it at a club of City’s stature but former Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown had positive words for Lewis on BT Sport.
“To play and score, it’s a dream come true for him. It’s only the first step, the first rung on the ladder – when you get in the first team, you want more of this. This should whet his appetite.”
It was also a good night for Alvarez, who scored one and provided the passes for the other two goals.
“There is no one player in the locker room who is not happy for him. He is a special guy. He was patient and found the space and got the rewards he deserved,” Guardiola said.
There had been little riding on the game with City already through to the last 16 as Group G winners.
“Of course we had qualified but we finished well. For the money and the prestige it is good for the club. It was a good night for us, especially the second half,” Guardiola added.
Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli felt his side faded after a strong start.
The former Argentina manager, who was appointed last month and is bidding to turn around a poor start to the season, said: “We were quite comfortable and controlling the game.
“We put in a great effort mentally and physically but then shot ourselves in the foot with a couple of unforced errors, which spoiled a lot of the good work we did.”– The Independent/ Express Newspapers