Kenneth noticed that his social media accounts had each surpassed 5,000 followers. It might seem small, but for a player who's only made two appearances for City, it was an impressive start. Kenneth also noticed the enthusiasm of City fans, especially on Twitter.
City fans who watched the match expressed their excitement on Twitter:
BlueMoonForever @City4Life
"Kenneth Lee is making moves like a seasoned pro! That offside trap-beating run was chef's kiss. The future's looking bright for City's academy!"
9:26 PM · 29 Oct 2014 · 12K views
MarkyMarkMCFC @MarkyBlue82
"Dzeko's on fire tonight, but let's not forget Kenneth's movement that set up Kolarov's goal. This kid's something special."
9:28 PM · 29 Oct 2014 · 18K views
FootyFrenzy @Footy_Frenzy
"Watching 16-year-old Kenneth Lee control the game with such composure… reminds me of Messi's early days. City have struck gold again!"
9:30 PM · 29 Oct 2014 · 34K views
Sophie_MCFC @SophCity
"4-2 and a Dzeko hat-trick is amazing, but Kenneth Lee's assist on that third goal? WOW. Definitely our academy's next big thing!"
9:32 PM · 29 Oct 2014 · 15K views
TotalFootball @TotalFooty
"Manchester City's youth system producing another gem. Kenneth Lee, at 16, orchestrating plays and creating space—what a talent!"
9:35 PM · 29 Oct 2014 · 28K views
TrueBlueJohn @JohnCity97
"Kenneth Lee = top-tier football IQ. Can't wait to see him grow into a first-team regular. We're in for a treat, City fans!"
9:37 PM · 29 Oct 2014 · 22K views
PremierLeagueBuzz @PLBuzz
"Kenneth Lee showed everyone why he's one to watch! Creating chances, reading the game, helping Dzeko shine. This kid's got it all."
9:40 PM · 29 Oct 2014 · 30K views
StevenMCFC @Stevenwyne
"This kid is our future."
09:23 PM · 29 Oct 2014 · 23K views
This match truly established Kenneth as Manchester City's latest wonderkid in fans' minds.
Where he used to see one or two fans greeting him on his way to and from training, now there were noticeably more people recognizing him.
Four days later, on Sunday, The Mirror published an article titled "Manchester City's Future Star, Kenneth Lee." Kenneth bought the paper and read it. He found that while he was mentioned twice, most of the article criticized City's reliance on foreign signings and lack of academy player development.
Still, Kenneth was pleased to see his name included in the piece.
As November began, Kenneth continued his strong performances. He helped Manchester City U-21s secure a 3-0 home win over Everton, scoring one goal and providing an assist. He earned a match rating of 9.5, the Man of the Match award, and received three attribute points, which he allocated to long passing, dribbling, and shot accuracy.
In the following game, Manchester City U-19s dominated CSKA Moscow with a 7-0 victory. Kenneth scored one goal and assisted three, and further improved his natural fitness, balance, and tackling skills.
Around 4,000 fans attended the CSKA Moscow match at Ewen Fields to watch the City U-19s play.
Unfortunately, City's senior team fell 1-2 to CSKA Moscow. Fans, media, and pundits heavily criticized Pellegrini and the senior squad, with Yaya Toure and Fernandinho receiving the most criticism due to their yellow cards. As a star of the previous season, Yaya Toure's performance this season had been disappointing, with his red card in this match seen as an avoidable mistake, further diminishing City's chances.
Fans and pundits argued that Toure's actions symbolized a lack of discipline, and many believed his influence in high-stakes European games was not up to expectations.
A small portion of City fans voiced their support for Pellegrini to replace Yaya Toure with Kenneth. Most fans, however, were more realistic. They recognized that Kenneth was still young, but they also agreed that Pellegrini should give him more opportunities to play.
In other results from the fourth week of the UCL, Arsenal drew with Anderlecht. After taking a 3-0 lead, they allowed Anderlecht to equalize just before the match ended. Despite the draw, Arsenal remained optimistic about advancing from Group D with six points from away and home games against Anderlecht and Galatasaray, respectively.
Chelsea also drew 1-1 with Maribor but still topped Group G. Their rivals Schalke lost 4-2 to Sporting Lisbon.
Liverpool suffered another defeat against Real Madrid, 1-0 away, having previously lost 0-3 at home on October 22. So far, Liverpool has only accumulated three points, earned in their first UCL match against Ludogorets. In another Group B match, Ludogorets were defeated by Basel, 4-0.
These results left the media optimistic about the two London teams advancing to the next stage of the UCL but concerned about the prospects of Liverpool and Manchester City.
Kenneth sat in Vieira's office chair. After training, Vieira had called him in.
Patrick Vieira seemed to search for the right words to start.
"How is your studying?"
"Good, I spend my free time on it," Kenneth replied.
Vieira nodded. "Keep it up. Not many footballers continue their education, even though most careers end by their 30s."
"I'm committed to taking it seriously."
Vieira looked at Kenneth intently and said, "Lee, you're a talented player, and I genuinely want to see you succeed. That's why I want to give you some advice. Please don't let the media or fan comments affect you too much.
I say this because I've seen many young players who fail to reach their potential because they're influenced by the media."
"Believe me, sooner or later, you'll be playing in the Premier League, playing for the first team. So be patient and keep training hard. You've developed well, but you're not quite ready yet to compete in the Premier League."
Kenneth listened carefully to Vieira's words, realizing that Vieira was concerned that the recent praise and fan comments might make him overconfident. Kenneth, however, was well aware of his actual abilities since he could see his own attributes.
Kenneth replied, "Sheffield Wednesday is a Championship team; Newcastle plays their young and backup players. Boss, I know I'm not as good as the media and fans say, so you don't need to worry. Honestly, I still want to play at the junior level and win various titles."
"That's a great goal, and as your coach, I'll try to make it happen. You can go now."
"Thank you, Boss. I'll head home."
After Kenneth left the room, Vieira breathed a sigh of relief.
Regarding the criticisms of him and fans' requests, Pellegrini paid them no mind. Vieira knew Pellegrini felt Kenneth was still too young and needed to develop gradually. Vieira agreed with Pellegrini on this point.
That's why he had spoken with Kenneth, encouraging him to be patient and not get carried away by fans' and media praise. Fortunately, Kenneth seemed unaffected, with no noticeable change in his mentality. This might be partly because he grew up in a Chinese culture that places a strong emphasis on humility.