Rico Lewis seizes rare start to send Maresca a reminder with man-of-the-match display against AEK Athens

Rico Lewis used a rare Champions League start to remind Enzo Maresca of his value, producing the standout display among City’s home players in their victory over AEK Athens on Tuesday night.

The 21-year-old had barely featured since being substituted early in the second half of City’s opening-day Premier League win over Bournemouth, with a Carabao Cup appearance against Championship side Norwich his only other meaningful outing before Tuesday. His place in the XI came about largely by circumstance — Matheus Nunes was absent through injury, and Maresca used the occasion to rest Marc Guehi and shift Abdukodir Khusanov into the centre of defence, freeing up the right-back slot for Lewis.

He made the most of it. Lewis was City’s most dynamic presence in the first half, and his deft touch to tee up Phil Foden for the hat-trick hero’s second goal of the night was the highlight of his evening. His energy and movement down the right gave City a different dimension, even if his defensive positioning drew scrutiny — he was not blameless for the AEK goal — and he would still prefer to operate in midfield.

The performance carries added significance given the pattern of the past two seasons. Last year Lewis started City’s opening two Premier League matches before vanishing from the XI until the Manchester derby in January, with only one further top-flight start to follow. The 2025-26 campaign has followed an uncomfortably similar script, making Tuesday’s showing all the more timely.

Lewis has a particular history with Maresca, who ran individual post-training sessions with the academy graduate during his time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant in 2022-23 — the season Lewis first broke into the first team and earned five England caps. He has not added to that international tally since 2024, though he was called into Thomas Tuchel’s squad this month as an injury replacement for City team-mate Nico O’Reilly.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News in the summer, Lewis said there was “a plan that is in place for me that I just have to believe in” and expressed a desire to play as many games as possible this term. Tuesday night was the kind of evidence that could yet shift that plan in his favour.