Pep Guardiola hailed Rico Lewis as the Man of the Match in Manchester City’s 3-2 win against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Round of 16.
Pep Guardiola dubs Rico Lewis as “Man of the Match” vs Liverpool
Initially, Guardiola went on to heap praise onto Lewis for his stellar display against the Reds on Thursday night.
“I’m absolutely really impressed, for a young age, how he played against a real, real senior team”, he was quoted as saying by GOAL.
The Catalan boss elaborated, “It is not about with-the-ball intelligence, it is about without the ball.”
“We had the privilege to almost announce that this guy will [have] a big decade, will have an absolutely incredible player for Manchester City because he is so intelligent, so humble.”
“He understands everything in just one second and applies everything. He always play good but not [just] against Liverpool. Liverpool are special, with Nunez, Salah, Thiago and Robertson on his side.”
“He is 18 years old and the way he played was outstanding. He was man of the match.”
High praise from Guardiola for Man City wonderkid Lewis
First things first, Pep Guardiola went on to confidently claim that Rico Lewis is set to be a mainstay at Manchester City for the next decade.
That in itself is a huge statement, considering the gifted right-back has just played a handful of senior games and is only just 18 years old.
Furthermore, the fact that Guardiola hailed Lewis as the Man of the Match against Liverpool is a massive compliment as well.
Especially considering how awestruck the Spaniard was by Kevin De Bruyne’s masterclass, dubbing him as an “absolute legend” and “unstoppable.”
The last time Pep Guardiola was this excited about a Manchester City academy talent was none other than Phil Foden.
And we all know how that story unfolded, which is ominous for Rico Lewis.
