Everything is going too fast with Pep Guardiola. Trained at Manchester City and integrated very early into the rotation, Rico Lewis embodied one of the great promises of the Citizens training center. Revealed from the 2022-2023 season by his maturity and his ability to evolve in several tactical registers, the 21-year-old right back quickly gained the trust of his coach, to the point of becoming an indisputable element in the squad. Versatile, intelligent in the game and technically very clean, he perfectly symbolized the profile sought by Guardiola in his demanding three-defender system. However, the dynamic has clearly reversed in recent months, to the point of calling into question his future at the highest level at Manchester City.
Last season, the young Englishman reached an important milestone, making 44 appearances in all competitions, including 34 starts. But the hierarchy has been completely reversed this season with the emergence of Nico O’Reilly, another product of the Citizens’ training center, who plays in a similar register, but has established himself thanks to a much greater offensive impact. With already 9 goals and 6 assists, the latter has taken on a major dimension in the squad, gradually relegating Rico Lewis to the background. The comparison between the two trajectories is all the more striking as they share the same age, the same training and an almost parallel career path within the club. With England, the dynamics also diverge: Lewis, called up for the first time in 2023, has not been called up since 2025, while O’Reilly seems destined for a place for the 2026 World Cup. From now on, according to The Telegraphthe English defender would no longer be part of Guardiola’s plans.
A departure from Manchester City this summer inevitable?
“Although he is only 21, the time has probably come for him to change scenery. Technically gifted, he sometimes struggles to establish himself physically in the elite of English football”indicates the English media. Indeed, confined to a very reduced role, he only started 11 times and only played 21 matches in all competitions, a clear decline in the Citizens’ hierarchy. His profile, long appreciated for his technical accuracy and his versatility, is today called into question due to a size considered too light for the requirements of the very high level, he who measures 1m70 and weighs 64 kg. Capable of playing in front of the defense or on the sides, he was nevertheless able to adapt to Guardiola’s needs, particularly alongside John Stones in fairly hybrid roles. “In recent matches, Rico has shown his ability to improve the midfield. At every moment, he knows when to open up the inside game and what to do. He was a game changer”explained Pep Guardiola in his early days.
Hampered by recurring physical problems, he is currently affected and has not played since February. His last appearance dates back to February 14 in the FA Cup, where he was lined up from the start in midfield, while his last reference match in the Champions League dates from January, against Bodø/Glimt (3-1), a heavy defeat for Manchester City that remains in the memory. Since then, his playing time has collapsed and he has been removed from the group several times. In this difficult context, his future now seems to lie far from Manchester City, even if a definitive departure seems unlikely after its extension until 2030 signed last September. The trend would rather be towards a loan solution, to allow him to regain rhythm, playing time and confidence, in a less competitive environment. Clearly, Rico Lewis will now have to restart his trajectory, regardless of his future destination, if he wants to avoid seeing his future at Manchester City darken permanently.
