Rico Lewis can play everywhere, says Pep Guardiola, but his ‘mum and dad’ did not give him one attribute | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that Rico Lewis has the ability to play everywhere in his starting line-up, despite missing one particular attribute.

The 19-year-old has started almost all of Manchester City’s matches this season from his traditional right-back berth, keeping club captain and the hugely experienced Kyle Walker out of the squad.

Lewis’ ability to move into the defensive midfield area of the pitch for Manchester City has given him a key advantage when coming into the thinking of Pep Guardiola for most matches, and has repaid that faith with high-standard performances.

But while Lewis has showcased a clear ability to be able to perform at both right-back and in midfield, he himself has suggested that his future desire would be to operate in a more advanced midfield role, as he has showcased in the Champions League in previous seasons.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit of Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, Pep Guardiola was keen to praise the overall development and future of Rico Lewis, as well as the remarkable positional intelligence of the teenager.

“He can play in every position. He’s so smart. I’ve said many times, when you ask 20 players, ‘What is your position?’, ‘No I play holding midfielder’, ‘No I play winger’ – Rico plays football,” explained Guardiola.

He continued, “If you put him in one position, he knows exactly what he has to do. He’s so intelligent. And he’s playing because he’s playing really good.

“The game against Inter again, the game against Chelsea we played, all the games he has played so far, always has been really, really, really good. So that’s why, honestly, I think he deserves the minutes that he has.”

When quizzed on whether the idea for the future is to utilise Rico Lewis across a multitude of positions, as opposed to retaining him in one particular spot in the team, Guardiola began by explaining how the Manchester City Academy graduate lacks one particular attribute.

“I would like to have him a little bit taller, but his mum and dad didn’t give him this attribute. But he solves it with other aspects; he always wants the ball, he’s so intelligent defensively, he’s aggressive one-against-one,” said Guardiola.

“And he’s played against one of the best wingers in the league, in Europe, and always has played at a high level,” he continued.

“Of course, for the conditions, for the physicality, he could play more in the central positions, the midfield players, for his dynamic, intelligence, arriving in the final third – for many things! But defensively, always, he’s a really, really good defender.”

It remains to be seen whether Rico Lewis will start for Manchester City for the visit of Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with Pep Guardiola having to balance his starting line-up decisions with a clash against Watford beginning just 49 hours later.

Kyle Walker remains a key option for Guardiola despite his limited starts for the club during the opening weeks of the season, as the Catalan coach has previously explained that the Englishman possesses different qualities to that of Rico Lewis.