From terraces to the pitch, Man City prodigy Rico Lewis targeting treble glory

As Rico Lewis began his journey to a career with Manchester City at the age of eight, it coincided with the club’s rise to heights from which they have rarely fallen.

When he joined, City were Premier League champions for the first time in 2012 and would soon displace their neighbors United as not only masters of Manchester, but as the leading lights in English football with five more titles since.

For a 10th consecutive season — since United last won the league in 2013 — City will also finish above them in the division once dominated by the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Pep Guardiola’s side also have the chance emulate United’s feat of winning the treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season, cementing their status as one of football’s greatest teams.

The 18-year-old Lewis was born in Bury, a town in the borough of Greater Manchester, five years after United’s historic 1999 treble. And he told Arab News exclusively: “Times change, there’s not always going to be one thing forever.

“Stuff has to change and luckily for us, it’s changed for the better (with City winning trophies now).

“I’ve got friends on both sides of the fence. That’s how it was growing up in school, some people would be United, some would be City. But for me, it was pretty decent back then because City were winning stuff — it was all right for me.”

Lewis can conclude a fairytale season by helping City claim that elusive treble, which includes a first Manchester derby in an FA Cup final on June 3.

“Of course I’d love the trophies, but my focus is on staying with this team and being with them for as long as I can,” added the versatile fullback, who made his debut last August.

“For me to be even around this