Rico Lewis believes Pep Guardiola would not allow him the freedom he gets for England.
Lewis made his second appearance for the national team on Tuesday night as England beat Finland 2-0 in the Nations League at Wembley.
The 19-year-old started at left-back but came into midfield at times and, at one point, was seen exchanging passes with right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right wing.
He said: “No, I think Pep would have a bit of a go at me if I did that, because he obviously wants to be so controlled. It was just in the moment. You can always trust your teammates on the other side to deal with it if something happens.”
Lewis was full of praise for interim manager Lee Carsley, who boasts a 100 per cent win rate in his two games since replacing Gareth Southgate.
“He wants us to be as good as we can”, Lewis revealed. “He does his best to get the best out of all of us. It’s a lot of freedom, but it’s not just freedom — there’s a lot of structure to it as well. We’ve got the balance right, and everyone is enjoying their football.”
Harry Kane scored both of England’s goals on Tuesday, on the occasion of his 100th cap.
Lewis said of sharing the pitch with Kane on the Bayern Munich man’s special night: “Obviously, for me it’s unbelievable. 98 of those games, I was watching on TV. Just to be on the pitch for [two] of those games is quite amazing.
“Credit to him. He’s such a good person. It’s so easy for him to not even take care of younger ones, but he’s so inclusive. He fully deserves it.”
Lewis has played the full 90 minutes in all three Premier League games for Guardiola’s City so far this season.
