‘Will be a big name in a few years’: Some Man City fans react as ‘future replacement for Dinho’ prospect participates in first-team training

Manchester City supporters have been reacting after news broke that 17-year-old academy player Romeo Lavia took part in first-team training this week, with some branding him as the ‘future replacement for Fernandinho’.

Lavia only joined City from Anderlecht in the summer of 2020, but he has already made a huge impression on academy staff having played a key role in the club’s Under-23s winning the Premier League 2 title.

Aged just 16 when he moved to England, many expected Lavia to spend the majority of his first season representing the U18s, but by November he had made his first start for Enzo Maresca’s reserve side and has gone onto be named in the XI for each of their 11 games in 2021.

In Lavia, man Skyblues believe they have found a player who can be moulded into the ideal Pep Guardiola player.

Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur confirmed on Twitter that the teenage, who played a role in City’s Premier League U-18 triumph this season, has now ‘had a taste’ of a training session with Manchester City’s first team.

The Brussels-born midfielder have similar strengths when on the ball, and has spent time this season honing his ability to make line-breaking passes from deep. He is as a potential successor to Fernandinho, who as it stands is set to leave this summer when his contract expires.

Pep Guardiola is reportedly said to be a ‘keen admirer’ of the talent, and unsurprisingly so given his importance to the academy set-up and his impressive reading of the game.

In reactions to the news about Lavia already training with the senior squad, Many Man city fans have been buzzing to see the teenager train with the first-team.

Here’s what some City fans had to say on Twitter…

Dinho replacement found 🙂

— Cyrus™️ 🙇🏻‍♂️ (@SilkyCyrus_74) May 18, 2021

Future replacement for dinho. Absolute monster.

— Mohammed Al-Thani (@mbaalthani8) May 18, 2021

Good, he is a monster

— ⚡ (@Ethan4707) May 18, 2021

really good player

— mcfcsam (@mcfcsamm) May 18, 2021

Will be a big name in a few years

— AJ (@MCFCAJ10) May 18, 2021

Now game time for him and Palmer

— SkyBlue🛢️Saved Football!! (@Rvnd0m_Citixen) May 18, 2021

From what I've read it sounds like he is the most likely to break through, even more so than the very talented trio of Palmer, Doyle, and Delap.

— gberti36 (@sovereignstar2) May 18, 2021