Why Phil Foden holds the key to the present and the future for Man City
It is business as usual for Manchester City as they kicked off the 2018/19 season with a thumping 4-0 win over West Ham followed by a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.
In the first game, Phil Foden, an exciting English prospect, got his playing time for around ten minutes instead of Silva, who is in the final year of his career at Etihad.
This looks like a clear indication of the future as no one would be a better successor to the Spaniard than Foden himself.
The 19-year-old emerged as the stand out in the City’s youth and reserves set-up, where he garnered a plethora of goals and assists, eventually earning the main-team call-up.
Although he was used sporadically by Guardiola last term, which can be understandable because of the taut-title race, Foden still exploited the limited opportunities and gained much spotlight. To be precise, the English U21 star racked up 7 goals and 2 assists in all competitions and the highlight is he started on the bench around 20 occasions.
Foden further cemented himself as one of the hottest prospects in Premier league by producing an excellent set of displays in Euro21 competition. In the process, he secured an average pass success percentage of 88 with 2 dribbles per game.
Cityzens’ current midfield boasts a strong midfield line-up yet Guardiola would be aware of the injury-prone players like De Bruyne and Gundogan.
Furthermore, Silva, 32, has a storied career as a Cityzen, and it is no mean task to fill his void. Given that, the ex-Barca manager can mould Foden into a much recognizable force in coming years.
Read more Man City News, click here- Latest Man City News
The English prospect can act as a No.8 or an attacking midfielder and carries the traits same as Andres Iniesta, one of the greatest midfielders in history.
Final verdict
The Cityzens are inclined towards another glory-seeking season, for which Guardiola has to balance the squad for Premier League as well as Champions League.
Foden has shown a lot of composure and responsibility at this tender age and he holds the key to the club’s present and future.