'Really, really harsh' - Gareth Southgate impressed by Rico Lewis' England debut but slams VAR penalty decision against North Macedonia

The England manager heaped praise on Manchester City youngster Lewis for an impressive outing on his international debut against North Macedonia on Monday.

Southgate was pleased to see the 19-year-old's composure throughout the game, despite giving a penalty to the opponents in the first half, which according to the manager was a harsh decision.

Lewis was found guilty by VAR of hitting opponent striker Bojan Miovski on his face inside the England penalty box, which led to a spot-kick being awarded to North Macedonia. Enis Bardhi broke the deadlock when converting the penalty in the 41st minute, but an own goal by Jani Atanasov in the second half allowed England to walk away with a point from the game.

The young defender jumped in the air to clear the ball with his head while trying to shield the striker. As he came down, he accidentally hit Miovski with his hand, with Southgate left furious over the decision.

Speaking to reporters after the match, the Three Lions boss said of Lewis: "He was excellent, his composure with the ball, the fact that he did respond to that set-back [the penalty], which was really, really harsh. He is a super footballer, he was excellent I thought and we're really pleased with him."

The full-back is expected to be included in the Cityzens' matchday squad by Pep Guardiola on Saturday as the reigning Premier League champions take on old foes Liverpool in a crucial top-of-the-table clash.