Man City’s Rico Lewis names his right-back idol and reveals his mum sends him clips of Pep Guardiola praise

Rico Lewis has claimed his Manchester City team-mate Kyle Walker was one of his right-back idols growing up.

The 18-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise in Pep Guardiola’s squad over the last few months and on Wednesday Lewis started his first-ever Premier League match, with the City manager selecting him at full-back ahead of Walker and Joao Cancelo.

He also became the youngest Englishman to start a league match for the club since Micah Richards in 2006, with Lewis once again impressing in hybrid defence/midfield role as the champions beat Leeds United 3-1.

Speaking after the game, Lewis was asked about the right-backs he admired as a youth-team player. “Definitely, Kyle,” he responded.

“The whole time he’s been at City I’ve watched him and the way he plays and has played his whole career he’s an asset to the team and when he plays you can see City aren’t the same when he doesn’t play. Kyle’s the main one. I want to become a regular first team player like he is and an asset to the team.”

Walker has featured in nearly 600 more senior matches than City’s newest youth-team protegee, and Lewis revealed the former Tottenham Hotspur full-back does give him advice on occasion.

“He always just says well done to me,” explained City’s no.82. “After the game, he gives me his [opinion] and that’s it.

“I just try and take information from him. I don’t really ask and he doesn’t need to come to me, but if he sees anything he says it to me.”

Guardiola recently claimed Lewis’ performance in the Carabao Cup win over Liverpool was outstanding and said the club had unearthed a player who will have a ‘big decade’ at the Etihad. It’s high praise for anyone, let alone an inexperienced youngster, and the defender revealed his mum keeps sending him clips of Guardiola’s effusive words.

“My mum always sends them to me so I always hear it,” he explained. “But it’s just [keep] doing what I’m doing, keeping my head down and I’ll play what I play. I’m quite quiet off the pitch. I’ve got my friends but I like to be on my own a lot. I’m more of a quiet person.”