Pep Guardiola has said that having Phil Foden in his squad means that he does not need to buy a replacement for David Silva this summer.
Is he right? Or is it too much hype on a youngster who may not deliver?
Foden – The New Hope
There have been many false dawns in the search for the new great hope of English football. After the epic demolition of Burnley in the league last night, we witnessed the official coming of age of Phil Foden.
The football was immersive, entertaining and everything we’ve come to expect from City under Pep.
He was quite literally unstoppable. You can see in the highlights below, Foden just seemed to rule the game, knowing exactly when and where to find the weaknesses in a well-drilled and super organised Burnley team that didn’t have any answers to his artistry.
Even the pundits were united in their reactions to this game. Foden was the architect and chief tormentor in the demise of Burnley. There was nothing they could do. Just nothing.
The evidence of last night shows me that Steven Gerrard could very well have a long term rival for his title as the best midfielder in premier league history. Foden has all the attributes to make this happen, good touch, vision, a long term future, and a world class coach and role model in Pep Guardiola.
The pundits and journalists alike have been similarly lavishing their praise on him. They can see the potential, and really the strength in depth of this City team may be the only thing that stops Foden from achieving his full potential.
David Silva is still a great player. He’s been arguably one of the best signings of the modern era for Manchester City and certainly the point can be made that he’s been one of the great modern midfielders in recent times in the EPL.
Many twitter users are seeing the parallels, and like me view it as a natural progression. The stats are certainly good, his movement in these areas show some real correlation with Silva’s play also.
So, it’s therefore, with some justification that we say that these are some big boots to fill. It’s really not an outlandish claim to see this young lad step into these shoes and show some of the other big names exactly how it’s done. I fully expect to see this happen, he’s certainly got the skills and other required attributes, let’s see if he has the wherewithal and opportunity to make it happen!