Bolton Wanderers scouted future Manchester City UEFA Champions League winner at just seven-years-old | OneFootball

One of Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League winners from the 2022/23 season was originally scouted by League One side Bolton Wanderers, it has been revealed.

That early spot of talent concerns Rico Lewis, whom many believe will be the next Manchester City Academy graduate to follow in the footsteps of Phil Foden in terms of achieving mammoth levels of success for the club in a short space of time.

Having first been integrated into Pep Guardiola’s first-team set-up on a regular basis in December 2022, Lewis has gone on to win a staggering seven trophies in that time, including back-to-back Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League success.

But the Bury-born full-back’s journey within the game could have been very different, had he chosen a path earlier on in his rising career that could have led him away from Manchester City’s development process.

Speaking during a new interview with England Football this week, opening up on his career and journey to the very summit of the professional game, Rico Lewis has revealed his opportunity to join League One side Bolton Wanderers as a seven-year-old.

“I got scouted by Bolton at Under-8s level but at the same time I was scouted by Manchester City,” Rico Lewis revealed. “I signed there and I’ve been there ever since – but I kept training with Prestwich at the same time because obviously I wasn’t under contract at that age.”

He continued, “At Under-11s the City squad gets cut in half because they make a decision about which players they want to put in the school they are associated with, St Bede’s. I was lucky enough to make the cut.

“We used to leave school early to train and everything was in place. I remember being at City and seeing players like Phil Foden, who was an example of how it’s possible to break through. He had a similar background to me and you see him join the first team when he was around 17.

“The manager would talk about how good he was all the time and as younger players it gave us a massive incentive and belief that there is a way through,” Lewis told England Football.

Rico Lewis is set for another stellar campaign in a Manchester City shirt, and is likely to be afforded even further opportunities to showcase his abilities under manager Pep Guardiola this season.

It remains to be seen just where Pep Guardiola has most faith in the player however, with Lewis himself eyeing a career further forward for Manchester City, operating in the creative and attacking midfield ranks.