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Phil Foden: The Stockport Iniesta

By David Crook

OXFORD, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 25: Phil Foden of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Oxford United and Manchester City at Kassam Stadium on September 25, 2018 in Oxford, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
OXFORD, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 25: Phil Foden of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Oxford United and Manchester City at Kassam Stadium on September 25, 2018 in Oxford, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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The Development of Foden

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MARCH 07: Phil Foden of Manchester City in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester City and FC Basel at Etihad Stadium on March 7, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MARCH 07: Phil Foden of Manchester City in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester City and FC Basel at Etihad Stadium on March 7, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

Foden really came of age during the Under 17 World Cup in India where his performances seemed to mature and he began to look like the player we really hoped he would become. Of course the other issue at that time – both for England and in the EDS – was it was not always clear which position was his best on the pitch. He seemed to appear on the wing as much as centrally – and I seem to recall at least 1 match where he seemed to operate much more defensively, almost like a defensive midfielder.

Working with Guardiola, an excellent and experienced coach with young players and who has a long history of successfully developing exciting youth prospects must be like a dream come true for Phil Foden. But with his previous team mate receiving all the plaudits operating in the Borussia Dortmund first team what does the immediate future hold for Foden? So far this season he has been restricted in the number of first team appearances he has made – and realistically may well achieve a similar kind of number of games as the previous season. He is likely to receive an extended run out in some cup competitions as Guardiola seeks to rotate his squad, but is unlikely at this moment to force his way into the reckoning.

But Sancho has been called up to the England First team whilst Foden resides in the Under 21’s with the clear message being first team game time is restricting or holding back his career. Therein of course begs the question – what is the best route for a young player to best develop his skills? Traditional routes of development tend to see young players at this stage of their education being loaned out to either Championship clubs or Scottish Premier League Clubs, where these players can either rise towards greatness or fall away.

Any such approach would see Foden being loaned to clubs such as Leeds or Celtic. Whilst he would receive some football education from being  in the first team set up, the question remains as to both the amount of game time he would receive and the quality of the coaching he would experience. Will he really learn more playing for Celtic than by staying alongside Guardiola?