Guardiola will be reduced to a substitute! He has only played 35 minutes in the past 7 games and cannot compete with his fellow juniors.

Guardiola has indeed contributed a lot. He promoted a group of exciting young talents from Manchester City's youth academy. The Spanish coach has always relied heavily on the players he has cultivated, and Blue Moon's youth team continues to produce the most promising new stars in world football. The most successful youth star that Guardiola has trained at the Etihad Stadium is Phil Foden - he has played 327 games for his childhood club.

After Foden, Rico Lewis was once Guardiola's favorite. But more recently, Nico O'Reilly's successful introduction directly pushed Rico Lewis to the bench. Nico O'Reilly, a 20-year-old Manchester native, has a lot to praise. He has come to prominence during his brief first-team career at Manchester City and has even been named in Tuchel's latest England squad as a result, although he has yet to get a chance to play.

So far, the young man has played 30 times for the Manchester City first team, contributing 5 goals and 3 assists. In the 2025/26 season, he has started 4 consecutive Premier League games. O'Reilly has impressed Guardiola, with the Spanish boss saying he has "helped a lot in the first team" and confirming he is "taking his chances".

When Guardiola says these words, you can easily understand what he means: O'Reilly is like a Swiss Army knife, able to play in multiple positions. His original position is No. 10, but he is more often placed at left back, and has also played as a midfielder and even center. This versatile attribute is extremely important in Guardiola's squad. In a sense, his rise has pushed fellow senior Rico Lewis to the bench.

Guardiola himself summed it up well: O'Reilly seized the opportunity with both hands. He is now almost an indispensable member of the team, and a call-up to the England national team has cemented this status. However, O'Reilly's rise to the first team means Rico Lewis's chances of playing this season have dropped sharply.

This 20-year-old local defender is also a product of the youth training and has played in many games since emerging in the 2022/23 season. In fact, last month against Burnley, Rico Lewis completed the milestone of his 100th game for Manchester City. He has scored 5 goals and provided 10 assists for the team, including a key goal against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-finals last season.

Rico Lewis, like O'Reilly, can play multiple positions. He mainly plays as a right-back, but can also play on the left or even in midfield. His "right back moves in midfield" style of play, which led Guardiola to once call him Manchester City's "little Ram". However, since O'Reilly emerged, Lewis' playing time has been greatly reduced. In the past 7 Premier League and Champions League games, Lewis has only appeared as a substitute 3 times and played 35 minutes.

Although Lewis has just renewed his five-year contract with Manchester City, his position in the team is already very embarrassing. He was overtaken by his youth training teammates who are almost the same age and have very similar styles. If the situation continues, it will be difficult for him to lock in the main position. This summer, he has attracted the attention of many Premier League clubs, and Nottingham Forest is said to have made a formal offer. If opportunities to play are still few and far between, perhaps he will consider leaving the club he has supported since childhood.