Pep Guardiola discusses the future of Man City star amid interest from elsewhere | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has clarified the future of one of his stars who has been heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer.

Last week, Nottingham Forest had a bid rejected for City defender Rico Lewis.

But Guardiola believes he will not be going anywhere this summer.

“I think he’s going to stay. I think.”, Guardiola revealed. “He told me that. But I said maybe tomorrow it will change.

“When he plays his role, Rico is an extraordinary player.

“Out of all the players we’ve had, he is so small. Yeah, if he was taller I would say, ‘wow what a player!’. It’s that.

“But today, today, I think he’s going to stay. But I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Lewis has also spoke of his desire to stay at the club, saying after the win over Wolves: “For me, I’ve never ever seen myself leaving.

“It’s my dream. When I’m playing with the kind of players that I’m playing with, it brings out the best of me. So I’m so happy.”

Another key player who has been linked with an exit is goalkeeper Ederson. The Brazilian was missing from City’s squad as they won 4-0 in their opening game of the season.

Guardiola insisted: “Today, he would have played. The problem he had was he was ill.

“Ederson is my player, he’s our player. Ederson has been a player, he’s the keeper of the six Premier Leagues in seven years. He’s the keeper of the Champions League and he won it, saving in Madrid and in the final, in the last minutes.

“He’s the player that plays during nine years, every single game. He deserves beyond, beyond respect.”

In Ederson’s absence, academy graduate James Trafford started his first game for the Blues.

Guardiola said: “He was in the academy for many, many years and to play for the first Premier League game away.

“With a clean sheet and make a good performance, make good saves. He’s tall, he’s present, he’s really good.

“I think the people love a lot to have homegrown players from the academy playing with us, it’s really good.

“People identify with Phil, with Nico. You know, for all the players to come from there, it’s nice.”

Oscar Bobb was another academy graduate that started on Saturday evening. The Norwegian was sidelined for most of last season after breaking his leg.

City’s boss admitted: “Now I’ve realised when I saw him in the first-half, even in the second, how much we missed him last season.

“I’m so happy he’s back. I don’t know since how long he didn’t play 90 minutes in a high level. Maybe one year.

“Because he’s so strong, so disciplined in defensive issues and in the smallest spaces, he’s an incredible threat. Hopefully, he can be healthy.

“Only I ask for him to be healthy, be strong in his head and I’m pretty sure he’s going to help us.

“In that position, even more interior position, he’s another quality player in the academy that for the last decade has been unbelievable how much amount of good players this club has created.”