Pep wants to keep pressure off Academy players

Guardiola wants to stop the rot as 16-year-old is thrown in at the deep end

City boss wants to protect youngsters as pressure mounts

Pep Guardiola wants to keep pressure off his Academy players as the injury crisis at Manchester City continues to worsen.

The 16-year-old Rico Lewis has been thrown in at the deep end, starting against Fulham on Saturday and playing the full 90 minutes against Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Pressure is mounting on the youngster, but Guardiola is keen to protect his development.

"We have to be careful with him," Guardiola said. "He's only 16 years old. We can't put too much pressure on him. We have to let him develop at his own pace."

Guardiola said he was impressed with Lewis' performance against Sevilla, but he knows the youngster needs time to adapt to the demands of first-team football.

"He played very well against Sevilla," Guardiola said. "He's a very talented player, but he's still very young. We have to be patient with him."

Guardiola said he is confident Lewis can handle the pressure, but he wants to make sure the youngster is not overwhelmed.

"He's a strong character," Guardiola said. "He's mentally very strong. But we have to protect him. We can't put too much pressure on him. We have to let him develop at his own pace."

City have been hit by a number of injuries in recent weeks, with Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo, John Stones and Ruben Dias all currently sidelined.

Lewis has been one of the beneficiaries of the injury crisis, but Guardiola knows the youngster needs time to develop.

"We're in a difficult situation at the moment," Guardiola said. "We have a lot of injuries. But we have to be careful with Rico. We can't put too much pressure on him. We have to let him develop at his own pace."