Rico Lewis sends clear message to Pep Guardiola over new Manchester City position | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has received a clear message from Rico Lewis over where he sees his future in Manchester City’s starting line-up after his FA Cup semi-final outing.

The England international has rarely been utilised by Pep Guardiola in recent starting elevens having more often opted for Matheus Nunes in the right-back position following impressive performances from the Portuguese midfielder.

However, Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest sprung a surprise on many supporters with both Nunes and Lewis in the same line-up, with the latter operating in an advanced midfield role.

The 20-year-old defender is certainly no stranger to playing further up the field having excelled in last season’s Champions League group stage campaign on multiple occasions, and was entrusted to take on the role once more on one of the biggest of stages in English football.

And that supposed risk paid off within the opening two minutes as Mateo Kovacic found the Bury-born starlet in space in the edge of the penalty area, who took just one touch before firing with expert precision beyond Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.

Speaking after Manchester City’s 0-2 win over Nottingham Forest in the weekend’s FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley, Rico Lewis told reporters of his firm desire to operate in attacking midfield moving forward.

“I want to play there. I enjoy playing in there. I think I can affect the game there,” Lewis told reporters after reaching a third consecutive FA Cup Final.

“I think that’s the main thing. I can do the defensive bit as well,” the versatile full-back continued, “The more I do play there, the more I feel comfortable and the more I’ll adapt to the position as well.

“I had a feeling that something like this would happen [against Nottingham Forest]. I’m not saying I knew it was going to happen 100 per cent, but sometimes you have a feeling on game days and stuff like that.

“I think everything just lined up. I got my chance and I took it.”

Manchester City are due to return to action against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League in a rare Friday night affair at the end of this week, and it remains to be seen whether it is a suitable tactical affair for Guardiola to turn towards Rico Lewis for the same role.

The FA Cup Final meeting with Crystal Palace is due to take place on Saturday 17 May, as fixture decision makers have been forced to postpone and rearrange Manchester City’s home top-flight clash with Bournemouth once again.