“He’s living a reality” – Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City’s difficult season could help 20-year-old in particular | OneFootball

Manchester City’s hugely difficult season and chase for European football in the next campaign could be of benefit to one of their younger stars, according to Pep Guardiola.

The Premier League champions have endured an injury-riddled, stop-start season that has witnessed several first-team stalwarts suffer a significant dip in form following on from the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to an ACL injury in September.

Kyle Walker, formerly club captain, joined AC Milan on loan in January till the end of the season, epitomising just what the ongoing season has been like for the Blues, who could also see the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson and Jack Grealish leave the club in the summer.

City had to take urgent action to mend their season and any chances of a top-four Premier League finish by signing the quartet of Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez for a combined £181.5 million in January.

Amidst what has arguably been Guardiola’s most difficult season in charge of Manchester City since 2016, there have appeared a few silver linings for the Catalan ahead of an imminent surgery of the first-team squad in the summer.

Rico Lewis, who emergence as Guardiola’s preferred option at right back fuelled the mid-season loan departure of Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich two years ago, has continued to impress the Manchester City manager through his own ups and downs this term.

Speaking during a recent press conference, Pep Guardiola told reporters that he has huge admiration for Rico Lewis’ commitment to his profession, and that onlookers are guilty of forgetting just how young the 20-year-old still is amid his remarkable rise and success.

“He (Lewis) has been, since the pre-season, always available, no injury. I admire the players that live 24 hours to be fit, to be ready, and he has done it since the pre-season,” Guardiola said.

“He’s played a lot of minutes because he deserved it, now of course for the absence of our ex-captain (Kyle Walker) here, so of course he can have more minutes and give us something really, really good in the way to play.”

Guardiola has on several occasions this season banked upon Lewis’ versatility in operating in multiple positions. “He (Lewis) is so young, people forget how young he is and he’s a big success. He’s in a National Team with Under-21s and the future, then every single player depends on them,” the Manchester City boss added.

“Always he’s been confident, he’s so strong, Rico is so strong. When he makes a mistake, always he’s present again in the action. I don’t have any doubts that Rico. Of course, he has to improve because sometimes we demand something or want something of him with the age that he has.

“Give him time to get better and this is an incredible experience. He arrived, like Phil (Foden) arrived, and every time it’s Premier Leagues, Premier Leagues, Premier Leagues, Premier Leagues, Champions League. And we spoke about it; it’s a reality of football as well.

“Now he’s living a reality that I’ve not seen before. It looks like this business is easy, the business is tough. I’m pretty sure it will help him in the future to realise that, ‘Wow, it can happen as well. To have bad seasons, bad moments’, but it’s how you react to that.”