Guardiola makes Foden’s day all over again!
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola sent an encouraging message to wonderkid Phil Foden after he scored twice for England in their 5-2 Under-17 World Cup win over Spain.
The Blues boss was clearly delighted to see Foden do well for his country, with their youth-level World Cup win causing a great deal of excitement about this next generation of English talent.
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City have been criticised in the past for favouring big-money signings over promoting home-grown players, but it looks like Guardiola knows he’s going to find his academy increasingly hard to ignore.
Discussing Foden’s impact for England in their cup final win, he said: ‘Which position did Phil Foden play? Because when he comes back I’m going to put him in that position!’
He added: ‘He trains with us every single day. Of course he’s just 17, a young player, but a player of our squad.
‘Every day he’s in the locker room with the guys, it’s the best way to learn from the experienced guys what does it mean to be at a high level. It’s so important for Manchester City, for him, for everybody that he played at a high level in that competition.’
?Pep Guardiola responds to @PhilFoden‘s U17 World Cup brace: “I’m going to play him in this position if he scored twice in the final!” #mcfc pic.twitter.com/7TYvDJtK41
— Liam Blackburn (@liamblackburn) October 28, 2017
Foden was mobbed in his post-match interview after the game and has since gone on to share the above clip of Guardiola on his Twitter page.
The 17-year-old is enjoying his moment and it’s clear Guardiola rates him highly after working with him as part of the senior squad.
When you’re trying to conduct an interview but England have just won a World Cup… #FIFAU17WC https://t.co/Qom3GvDedR pic.twitter.com/P0AtGfrX1z
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 28, 2017
Foden also tweeted this morning to thank everyone for their support in what could prove to be the start of a very promising career.
Thanks for all the messages last night ???? pic.twitter.com/KWCHTSntNb
— Phil Foden (@PhilFoden) October 29, 2017