Rico Lewis reacts to Matheus Nunes message amid Man City selection fight
Rico Lewis has reacted to a message from Matheus Nunes after Man City won a hard-fought FA Cup quarter-final against Bournemouth.
Man City’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth will see them play in the FA Cup semi-finals for a seventh consecutive year under Pep Guardiola.
A missed penalty from Europe’s highest paid player Erling Haaland sparked concerns, which were then exacerbated when Evanilson gave the Cherries the lead in the 21st minute.
City have endured a miserable season and it seemed their final opportunity to claim silverware this campaign was slipping through their fingers.
However, Haaland redeemed his earlier error, scoring the equaliser in the 49th minute after connecting to a smart cross from Nico O’Reilly.
January’s marquee signing Omar Marmoush made it 2-1 in the 63rd minute, sliding a shot underneath Kepa Arrizabalaga and the Egyptian’s fifth goal since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt would prove to be the winner.
However, Guardiola’s selection choices once again cast doubt over Lewis’ future at his boyhood club.
Rico Lewis reacts to ‘Wembley’ message from Matheus Nunes
Following the win over Bournemouth, Nunes posted a series of images from the match to Instagram, captioned: “Wembley soon”.
The post was then liked by Nunes’ teammate and rival for the right-back position in Pep Guardiola’s side, Lewis.
The win was a crucial one for City, who had lost to Nottingham Forest and drawn with Brighton in their games prior to the international break.
Pep Guardiola continues to use Matheus Nunes over Rico Lewis in important matches
Football Insider Verdict
Guardiola once again used Nunes at right-back in favour of Lewis, who is considered more of a natural in the position.
Despite being a central-midfielder by trade, the former Wolves man has featured at right-back in a number of key clashes, including against Club Brugge, PSG, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, to name a few.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Lewis | Nunes |
| Appearances | 23 | 19 |
| Starts | 19 | 12 |
| Goals | 1 | 0 |
| Assists | 2 | 4 |
| Minutes | 1,701 | 1,043 |
Former City man Danny Mills suggested Guardiola no longer fancied Lewis in the position, even after the exit of Kyle Walker in January left the City academy graduate as the only out-and-out right-back in the squad.
Against Bournemouth, Nunes looked sharp and successfully nullified the dangerous Antoine Semenyo, limiting the Ghanaian’s impact.
With a semi-final match-up against Forest next up for the Citizens in the FA Cup, Guardiola’s team selection may reveal whether Lewis has a future with the only club he has played for in his career so far.