Lawlor joined the Manchester City first team again in pre-season for a match against Bayern Munich, alongside Willy Caballero and fellow youth teamers Angus Gunn and Billy O'Brien. Lawlor was assigned the number 45 for the upcoming season. Going into the January transfer window Lawlor was linked with a move to League One with Bury and Chesterfield or League Two with Doncaster Rovers and Portsmouth.
