Manchester City talent reveals stance on Football League return next season | OneFootball

Manchester City youngster Emilio Lawrence has hinted at a possible return to Luton Town for the upcoming 2026/27 campaign, as his ongoing loan spell nears its end.

Lawrence – a product of the youth academy of Everton – joined Manchester City in 2022, before going on to complete a loan move to Luton Town in January in what would be his first experience of senior men’s football.

While the 20-year-old’s loan transfer to the Hatters came before he could make the step up into Manchester City’s first team or make his Etihad Stadium debut, Lawrence has revealed he would be “more than happy to come back” to Kenilworth Road next season.

How has Manchester City’s Lawrence fared at Luton Town?

Emilio Lawrence made his senior debut with Luton in a 2-1 win against Stevenage in League One on January 10, before netting his first senior goal against Stockport County at Kenilworth Road in March.

He has turned heads with his performances for Luton in recent weeks, scoring the equaliser in the EFL Trophy final against Stockport, in a match that ended in a 3-1 win for the Hatters and earned Lawrence the first trophy of his career.

Lawrence has started in 12 out of the 13 appearances he has made in the league for Luton Town, and overall registered two goals and five assists in 17 games across competitions.

What has Emilio Lawrence said about his future?

When asked about his future plans as a new season approaches, Emilio Lawrence mentioned he is currently focusing on ending the ongoing campaign on a good note for Luton, especially by potentially earning a promotion to the Championship through the play-offs.

The Hatters are eighth in League One table with 65 points from 43 matches, and should they manage a top-six finish via the remaining three matches, Luton would secure a place in the League One play-offs.

Addressing the club’s current position, Lawrence shared his thoughts and said, as cited by Luton Today, “I haven’t heard anything from my agent or the club as it stands.

“I’m just focusing on ending the season as high as we can, doing what I can to help the team get into the play-offs and get the club back up to the Championship.”

He continued, “Hopefully we can be back here (Wembley) in the play-offs as well next month, do the same again and then we can assess what happens in the summer.

“I’ve loved being here, I’ve loved every minute of it, so I’d be more than happy to come back.”

“It’s all happened for the best,” says Lawrence

Lawrence did not have an ideal start to his journey at Luton, going through the process of earning starts and minutes on the pitch, and had to prove himself to establish his place in manager Jack Wilshere‘s playing squad.

However, the winger has been able to turn things around for the better and says that he would not have it any other way. “To be honest I wouldn’t change that. I feel like everything happened for a reason,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s hard to see at the time, but even that is experience, learning how to deal with different things, different scenarios in your career, but it’s all happened for the best, so I’m happy.”

The Manchester City starlet also spoke about the versatility in on-pitch roles he has experienced during his ongoing loan tenure at Luton and added, “I’ve enjoyed it (switch to left wing-back), it’s fine.

“I feel like defensively I’m backing myself. I think a few fans might have been a bit nervous at times when they saw me there, but I definitely back myself there.

“I felt like I still was getting on the ball quite a lot higher up the pitch which is the main thing, so I can showcase what I can do higher up the pitch as well as at the back.”

With Emilio Lawrence’s loan contract expiring on May 31, it remains to be seen if the young forward continues his journey at Luton Town in League One or the Championship next season, or returns to Manchester City this summer where his future would be reassessed.