Phil Foden added to his goal-scoring tally as he netted two times for Manchester City in their 4-0 thrashing of Brighton. The England international now has 23 goals for the season and is looking like a prime contender to grab the PFA Player of the Year award. His manager Pep Guardiola and star teammate Kevin De Bruyne believe that Foden is the best player in the Premier League.
Phil Foden is a product of the Manchester City Academy, which has nourished many talented players. He had a stellar youth career where he starred for England’s U-17 team in their World Cup triumph in 2017. He won the World Cup Golden Ball for his exploits in that tournament, but that was just the start of bigger things for the Stockport-born footballer.
The 23-year-old struggled to find regular playing time or a role in the first team just a few seasons before. However, he seems irreplaceable in the lineup now, and everything Manchester City does on the attacking front goes through him. This certainly is down to all the hard work that Phil Foden has put in over the years.
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Phil Foden has had to be patient throughout his career
At 23, Phil Foden already has the trophy cabinet of a footballing legend. He has five Premier League trophies to his name and could add another one in the next few weeks if City can topple their competitors. Although his trophy cabinet is stacked, there wouldn’t be too many arguments if it was said that Phil Foden had not officially arrived before this season.
He was present in all the successes that Manchester City had achieved over the past few years, but this is the first time that he has looked like the main reason behind their success. The team has had a few changes as Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez left the team after the treble-winning season. In their absence, it was expected that Phil Foden would get a bigger role in the team, but Pep’s mind is unpredictable. He was however forced to make Phil Foden a regular starter when Kevin De Bruyne went down with an injury in the first game of the 2023-24 season.
Phil Foden has saved the season for Manchester City
Phil Foden has embraced the role of being the main man. While De Bruyne was away, many expected Manchester City to slip up, but Foden kept them afloat. He dropped some big performances, to help his side stay in the title race. One game that proved his brilliance to the world was the Manchester derby. City went a goal down inside the first ten minutes, it was Phil Foden who then stepped up with two goals to help the reigning champions steer through their city rivals and bag the three points.
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With City needing to win all their remaining games to clinch their fourth consecutive PL title, they will need Phil Foden to be at his best. They have all their stars back from injury, but with the kind of form the Englishman is in, they will be relying on him to get them over the line.
