Man City always felt they had a player who was following in the footsteps of Xavi and Iniesta

Redaction Simon Brett with Srinivas Sadhanand
Published on 2024-02-07 10:00:00

A report from a few years ago claims that Manchester City always pointed to Xavi and Andres Iniesta when discussing Phil Foden.

At the time, there were demands for Foden to have more playing time or go on loan instead of remaining on the bench.

Many believed that Manchester City was not making the best use of the young talent, with widespread claims that he should have been playing regular games at his age.

Manchester City stood firm in their decision and limited Foden to appearances in cup competitions and as a substitute in the Premier League and the Champions League.

However, in the 2020/2021 season, Foden was promoted to a regular starter and played a significant role in the team’s third Premier League win under Pep Guardiola.

According to the Daily Mail, sources at Manchester City cited Xavi and Andres Iniesta as references to justify the patience in integrating Phil Foden into senior football.

They asked critics to consider the number of games that Xavi and Iniesta played at the same age as Foden. When Xavi turned 21 at the start of the 2001/2002 season, it was the first time he started more than 20 games for Barcelona in La Liga.

Similarly, at the start of the 2006/2007 campaign, when Andres Iniesta was 22, it was the first time he started more than 20 league games for the Catalan side.

Manchester City insisted that they used the same strategy with Foden as the Spanish giants used to integrate Xavi and Iniesta.

They believe that Foden could have a long career because he was not overexerted with excessive minutes at a young age, unlike Xavi and Iniesta.

These comparisons have shed light on the method and the strategy that Manchester City used to develop Foden. It shows that Manchester City had a long-term plan in place for Foden, similar to how Barcelona handled Xavi and Iniesta as they emerged as legends in their own right.

This foresight by Manchester City demonstrates their ability to nurture and develop young talents like Foden.

Read Original article on Manchester City News