Pep Guardiola has given Phil Foden only a substitute’s role in many of their biggest games. Photograph: Dave Thompson/AP Judging the correct time to release it is one of the things he has got to work on but I am sure he will improve his decision-making while he is at City, because he has got the ability. If, that is, he is selected – which is the clue to Foden’s status under Guardiola. This is a footballer who since his debut at 17 as a 75th-minute replacement against Feyenoord six years ago has won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Champions League and the Uefa Super Cup but is still to convince his manager he can be De Bruyne’s successor as the next dazzling star in a Guardiola constellation that features Messi (Barça, 2008-12), Götze (Bayern, 2013-16), and Silva (City, 2016-20). When Silva ended a glittering decade at City he was rated by many as the club’s greatest footballer. Three years later De Bruyne’s serial A-list displays allow a similar claim. In January 2020, before Silva’s departure that summer, Guardiola said: “We trust Phil. If we didn’t believe in him we might go to the market to replace David, but we have Phil.”

Mason Mount is extremely talented as well, so with those two to build around, we have really got something to go with in the next few years, and the same applies to Declan Rice, who should become a fixture in the team. Foden was one of a contingent of City players at Manchester Arena for the Khan-Brook fight who had attended following their earlier 3-2 Premier League defeat by Tottenham. After Foden started and disappointed in the 2021 final when City lost 1-0 to Chelsea here was a golden opportunity for him to prove he could thrive in the continent’s elite club contest. But though competent at the Ataturk Stadium no game-of-his-life display was produced. Those who will argue Inter are a tough team to dominate simply make the case for what is required: the ability to take hold of a contest in the highest-stake game and shape it their side’s way. As I describe in my book, it is working, everywhere. You can see the talent that is out there in England shirts, right through the age groups up to the senior side, and it is going to keep on coming. It's easy to see why it happened, because the game is different now. The pitches are beautiful, the rules have changed. Why would you lump the ball in the way we had to put up with? It would be sacrilege. Hoddle was one of the managers responsible for beginning the transformation of the Premier League into the competition it is today when he signed one of its first superstars, Ruud Gullit, for Chelsea in 1995. "I came because of Glenn," Gullit told the BBC in 2020. "In the eyes of the Dutch, he was the best English footballer ever."

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In truth, Puyol was not the only illustrious player of past Barcelona association to show an interest in Foden’s progress. Pep Guardiola’s presence at City has always ensured a degree of fascination in Catalonia at events unfolding in east Manchester and in the past Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano are thought to have idly asked their friend and compatriot Sergio Aguero what “that kid Foden” is like. As such, this was always going to be a big season for Foden. But, as he prepares for another meeting with Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime, he does so as one of Guardiola’s go-to men alongside Rodri and Erling Haaland. He has the possessed, appealingly arrogant look of a player who knows he is different and out to catapult himself into that rarefied sphere that always seemed his calling. I was a kind of a number 10 in my final season with Tottenham - the one when Clive Allen scored 49 goals - but people still talked about what I couldn't do as much as what I could. It was only when I went to Monaco in 1987 that suddenly I was at a place where what I did was seen as the most important position, because I could elevate the team.

Foden still has time but, maybe, not as much as his 23 years suggest. If Bellingham had chosen City, Foden’s hopes of becoming “the man” under Guardiola would have seriously receded, as shown by the 13 goals scored by the 20-year-old Bellingham in 14 Madrid appearances. I actually saw him play some of his best games for Villa when he was more central, because it opens up the whole pitch for him. Note: Due to upcoming strike action by Royal Mail, these time frames may be subject to changes or delays outside our control. Do we deliver overseas?It underlines how midfield is such an important area. For me, Foden has to be an integral part of whatever England do next because before long he is going to be the best player we have in this country. In two or three years' time, when he is nearing his peak, he will be the top man. That's where English football has really won out as a result of foreign managers and players coming in from the mid-1990s onwards. That type of player - the technician, really - has really flourished because of a change in playing style. It was a long wait, but we have moved on.

For a period, with upheaval behind the scenes around his representation and outside distractions aplenty, City harboured concerns about a loss of focus but the Foden who has emerged this season is a different beast and there is excitement about what the next 12 to 18 months could bring. With three goals in five league starts against Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp knows only too well what a threat Foden routinely presents to his team. What De Bruyne, Grealish, Foden or Mount can do, which is to consistently create, is the toughest thing to do on a football pitch. Goalscoring is difficult too, of course, but if you are a number 10 now you have to score goals as well as make them. The pressure is always on them to produce something to change a game. In the modern game, though, if you are playing in any of these positions, you have to be a goalscorer too and I think that is where Foden has the edge on everyone else I have spoken about, because he will go right into the six-yard box to get on the end of things. Create bespoke photographs. With easy-to-use customisation features, we let you take control and create bespoke photographs for any occasion. From gift giving to home decoration, our custom options are endless.In a statement given to the Guardian, Greater Manchester Police said: “GMP are aware of a video circulating on social media showing a disturbance at the AO arena last night (19 February 2022). We are conducting some further enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident.” He could thrive there eventually but I think he is still working out when to hold on to the ball at City. It was different at Villa because he was their release man, and he had to carry the ball, draw opposition players towards him and get the team up the pitch.

We had our heads in the sand for a long time but, more than 30 years on, we have caught up with the rest of the continent. There are creative playmakers everywhere in the Premier League, and in the England team too. As Foden matures, I feel as if we are going to see him score a lot of goals for England as well as make them. I could be wrong, but it is going to be a lot of fun finding out. Guardiola still has Foden but last season was a first post-Silva campaign in which faith wavered, the England international being trusted with markedly less playing time. In 2020-21 Foden played 3,373 minutes in all competitions that came in 36 starts in 50 appearances, with 16 goals (all career-high numbers) and 10 assists. The following season the same statistics read 3,184, 36, 45, 14, 11. Then Foden endured a notable drop to 2,260 minutes and 29 starts with only eight assists, though in 48 appearances there were 15 goals. The expectation in England used to be for me to dictate play for 90 minutes, but it was never about doing that, and it still isn't. Look at Kevin de Bruyne now - you might not see him all game but then he sets up a goal with an unbelievable pass that no-one else can see, let alone execute it.

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Wall prints and custom sizing. Looking for something larger than life? We offer Phil Foden photos up to 90x60 inches in size, as well as full-sized wall prints. Create a feature wall in your home or workplace! The future is very bright - the challenge for Gareth Southgate is to mould it all together to make a successful team. Getting the balance right for England Phil Foden made his senior England debut in September 2020 and has won 11 full caps, scoring two goals Phil Foden sees a shot saved in this year’s Champions League final, when he came on for Kevin De Bruyne. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian That seemingly inexorable rise to the top was not going to be without its hiccups but, after an impressive start to last season when he scored seven goals in 11 Premier League and Champions League matches, Foden would gradually find himself on the outside looking in. We also changed the academy system about 10 years ago, and you are seeing the fruits of that now - people such as Foden and Mount were just starting their journey then, and they have been brought up with the kind of football they are playing now, for club and country.