Manchester City’s Phil Foden should follow in Jadon Sancho’s footsteps
By Quinn Allen
Phil Foden has said he doesn’t want to leave City for Bundesliga opportunities, but given the lack of playing time at the Etihad, Germany could be the best decision for his development as a footballer.
Foden has seen just 98 minutes of Premier League football this year with Manchester City, with all of his ten appearances coming off the bench. The young midfielder has started just seven games across all competitions this term, with four of them coming in the League cup, two in the FA Cup and one coming in Champions league play.
However, Pep Guardiola still insists that Foden is in his plans for the future, despite his lack of playing time. Foden voiced during his stint with England on the international break that his fitness has lacked because he isn’t playing enough. But with David Silva ageing, City insists that Foden will be more in their plans next season.
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Despite all the speculation that Foden will see more time on the pitch in the near future and the fact that he wants to stay in England, I believe that going to Germany and developing would do wonders for his career, just like it has for former Manchester City product Jadon Sancho and Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson.
Several Bundesliga clubs are said to have interest in the starlet, claiming he is a top talent that could really turn into something special in Germany. It’s a league that some of the best players in the world got their start and thrived.
He could reach Jadon Sancho levels
We know how fantastic Sancho has been since moving to Dortmund from Manchester City in 2017, cementing himself as one of the most exciting young talents in the world with his fantastic pace and skill. Dortmund tried to convince Foden to come to join his former City teammate Sancho a ways back but was unsuccessful.
Numerous German clubs have shown interest in Foden for a season-long loan move after this year, with Red Bull Leipzig being the latest. Foden has made it very clear that he wants to stay in Manchester, but you can’t get better if you aren’t playing.
He is a very talented midfielder with a high football IQ and very good skill. His pace and ability to control a match in the middle of the pitch are very impressive. If he went to play in Germany, he would definitely be seeing regular football on a weekly basis. This would do wonders for his career and could even help him find more playing time once he returned to Guardiola’s side if he wanted to. I know he’s just 18 years old and a move away from home could be scary to him, but in the end, he has to do what’s best for his development as a footballer.
Like I said above, seeing the way Nelson and Sancho have stood out in Germany should be giving him some motivation that he can do the same in the Bundesliga. Despite his talent, there are other midfielders who are ahead of him in the pecking order at Man City, such as Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.
Even former Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand voiced his opinion on the Foden situation a few weeks ago on BT Sport.
"“He’s got great potential, but at the end of the day he needs game time”–Rio Ferdinand"
Ferdinand went on to say that even though training with these type of quality players on a daily basis is very beneficial, in the end, he will eventually think to himself that he wants to play first-team football.
Frankly, there are just too many world-class players at Manchester City. Phil Foden should really be leaving the club on loan.
Next. Five players who impressed on International duty. dark
The Bundesliga would offer the best opportunities for the 18-year old.