England debut gives Rico Lewis extra Man City incentive

Rico Lewis may have trudged off the Tose Proeski Arena a tad disappointed after conceding a penalty on his England debut. But he shouldn’t.

Besides the fact that the spot kick should never have been awarded anyway, the Manchester City star made a fantastic first impression. His rise from academy hopeful to senior international has been rapid and well-deserved. A fantastic birthday present as he turns 19 today.

Lewis recently told reporters that he hasn’t had much time to think over his success of recent seasons but he ought to take a moment to reflect on his journey for a moment or two. But not three - because there is a new objective in his sights.

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The teenager had previously been asked about his England senior debut ambitions and admitted it was a desire, although modestly said his primary focus was simply improving his own game.

He joined up with the under-21s initially before injuries led to Gareth Southgate giving him a bell. When the call-up came, he was soon asked about his outside hopes of earning a place in the Euro 2024 squad given his ability to play in midfield and at full-back, where he played against North Macedonia.

“Obviously, in terms of a tournament, you can only select the amount you can select and it can be a key factor in going or not going. But for me, I am not really focusing on that right now but I understand it is a key thing that could contribute to me being picked or not,” Lewis said.

“I have enjoyed every minute of it so far - meeting everybody, meeting the players, the staff, the training sessions, everything.

‌“Being at games and coming up to tournaments it is important you feel