"The monster wasn't Haaland," read the headline.
26.03.2024 - 10:49 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The Rico Lewis story is one that has been told plenty of times over the last two seasons, but another chapter could be written this week.
Called up to the senior England squad for the second time, Lewis is suddenly the Three Lions' most senior fit right-back. Kyle Walker is out, Trent Alexander-Arnold is out, Kieran Trippier is out, Reece James is out. Ezri Konsa replaced Walker against Brazil but isn't a right-back, with Lewis potentially in line for a second senior cap against Belgium tonight.
Just like at City, Lewis has essentially bypassed the under-21s at international level. At the City Football Academy, Lewis only made 10 under-21 appearances before he was fast-tracked to Pep Guardiola's first team in the summer of 2022. The figure is less for the Young Lions, with only four U21 appearances before his debut last year.
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When Lewis was called up to the 2022 City summer tour he was originally included as one of a handful of youngsters aimed at covering a number of positions to afford senior players a rest. While some players were given high-profile media commitments in Houston, Lewis and the rest of the youngsters joined Riyad Mahrez and the soon-to-depart Oleksandr Zinchenko at a community event at a local sports club, playing with disabled children.
By the time he left the States Lewis had already made a big impression, coming off the bench against Club America for his debut and then again in Green Bay against Bayern Munich in the middle of an almighty storm. Eager to take his chance, Lewis skipped through a couple of challenges, into
"The monster wasn't Haaland," read the headline.
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