The young Manchester City player will be given an opportunity once David Silva leaves in the summer.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes that Phil Foden has what it takes to take over from David Silva as the Spaniard is set to depart City come the summer.
It is that belief that Pep believes that the club do not need to go out and spend for a replacement as they have someone just as good in-house.
According to The Guardian, Guardiola said,
"“Phil is an incredible player but he still has things to improve. Sometimes it takes time to understand exactly what he has to do. Sometimes you have to be patient. But David is going to leave this season [and] we are not going to buy any player in his position because we have Phil.”"
Guardioal was, however, non-committal about Foden playing more this season citing the competition in front of him. But he reiterated that he believes in him and that the internal competition will only benefit Foden in the long run.
This is not the first time Guardiola has praised his young English player. He’s done it in the past and at times goes a bit over the top.
In one instance he said that Foden was the best young player he had ever see, according to the BBC.
Guardiola has been criticized in the past for not playing Foden more and his record with young players has also been brought into question.
For Manchester City supporters, it should be promising to hear that the club won’t go into the transfer market to find a replacement for David Silva and instead will likely give an opportunity to Foden.
City have had a disappointing season, by their standards, and their squad is in need of a rejuvenation. Giving an opportunity to Foden means one less area where the club needs to spend.
It is also an easy way to get people on your side. Supporters always prefer to have a homegrown player succeed rather than splashing the cash for someone from the outside.
The question remains, however, how much of what Guardiola says is genuine and how much is it to placate his detractors?
While Foden has played more this season than last, some may feel it still is not enough. We’ll see next season whether he does play more or whether the praise and trust was simply nothing but talk.