Rico Lewis opens up on ‘difficult’ Man City season after impressive midfield outing in FA Cup semi-final win and breaks his silence on being demoted to England’s under-21s

• Rico Lewis played in midfield as City beat Forest to reach the FA Cup final 
• The 20-year-old academy graduate hopes to feature in midfield more often
• LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Why Bruno Fernandes is the Premier League Player of the Season 

By JACK GAUGHAN

Rico Lewis believes the first turbulent season of his career can act as a springboard to nailing down a regular place in Manchester City’s midfield.

The 20-year-old was a near ever-present before Christmas but looked jaded and has since found starts more difficult to come by in recent months – with Matheus Nunes now preferred at full back.

Lewis was thrown in as a central midfielder for Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final win over Nottingham Forest, scoring the opening goal, and hopes for more opportunities in that role moving forward.

The academy graduate was honest in suggesting that individual performances have been hampered by the nature of City’s injuries, inconsistent team selection and general malaise this term.

‘It’s [been] difficult,’ Lewis said. ‘I think maybe it’s a bit unlucky at certain times of the season where you’re playing in games where you’ve not got everyone on the team.

‘You’ve got some people injured so you can’t play as normal as you would do… the whole team is discombobulating and stuff like that. It’s part of football.

Rico Lewis, 20, opened the scoring at Wembley before Josko Gvardiol sealed the victory

The academy graduate started in midfielder and hopes for more opportunities in that role 

City booked their place in the FA Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday

‘I said this even when it was going well. I enjoy it while it’s going well but I know that no one’s ever had a perfect career where every game’s been perfect and every season’s been perfect. I think it’s a lot of learning that I can take from it and I can put it into good energy to move on.’

Lewis wants to fight his way into the plans of Thomas Tuchel after dropping back down into England’s Under 21s for their March internationals.

Pep Guardiola talked up his potential to open up matches in tight spaces, likening his movement to Phil Foden, and Lewis views his long-term future higher up the pitch than his traditional right back berth.

‘I want to play there,’ Lewis added. ‘I enjoy playing in there. I think I can affect the game there. I think that’s the main thing. I can do the defensive bit as well.

‘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 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.’

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Rico Lewis opens up on ‘difficult’ Man City season after impressive midfield outing in FA Cup semi-final win and breaks his silence on being demoted to England’s under-21s

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