According to the Manchester Evening News, Lewis is hoping to prove to Enzo Maresca that he deserves a place in Manchester City's squad this season. The academy product made limited appearances under Guardiola last year, and with one month remaining until the transfer window closes, his long-term future at the club remains unclear.
Last month, Lewis told the Manchester Evening News that he needed regular playing time this season, and it remains to be seen if Manchester City can provide that opportunity. Nottingham Forest was interested in signing the 21-year-old last summer, and other Premier League clubs are now showing interest again, so a sale in the next month cannot be ruled out.
However, Guardiola's departure has given Lewis new opportunities. He was promoted to the first team under Maresca during Manchester City's historic treble-winning season, so the two are not strangers. During the Asian pre-season tour, many Manchester City players were still on vacation, but Lewis participated in three warm-up matches with the team and played as one of the more experienced players in the squad.
When asked about his future after Manchester City's 0-1 pre-season loss to Inter Milan, Lewis was unsure if he would remain at the Etihad Stadium this season, but he hoped his abilities had spoken for themselves. "That's a difficult question to answer, nobody knows what will happen. We'll see," he said.
"It depends on the manager and how I perform when I get the chance. Hopefully, I've shown that I can play well, and I need to continue doing that in the future."
Maresca was pleased to see some of his new ideas implemented in the first warm-up match. As the game progressed, Lewis became more comfortable on the field, staying more in midfield rather than pushing forward from the right-back position. He is more comfortable with less running, but his favorite position is still midfield.
"Obviously, the inverted full-back role requires more running, that's the core. It's more running, more staying in the middle," he said. "I'm very comfortable playing in that position. The details like pressing are a bit different, but overall there isn't much difference, so I can adapt no matter how I play."
"I feel like I can be more involved in both attack and defense there, and I can control the game better from that position."
"We know Maresca is excellent; we worked with him during the treble-winning season, and we know he's a top coach. Seeing how he performed with different teams afterward, we also know he can do well, so it's not surprising. But he is indeed a very intelligent and clear-minded manager, which is very important."
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