Pep Guardiola has agreed with Kevin De Bruyne’s claim that Phil Foden will eventually become a central midfielder.
Foden was the star of the show alongside Erling Haaland in the Manchester derby on Saturday, with both stars scoring a hat-trick.
But despite shining on the wing against City’s rivals, Foden’s teammate De Bruyne said he could see him taking his role in central midfield – the role Foden played in City’s academy – later in his career.
“He can play in a lot of different positions,” he said after the 6-3 win over Man United. “I think eventually he will end up playing centrally in my opinion.
“But in this moment in time it is maybe a little bit better for him on the wing to have more freedom and fewer instructions so he flows into the game.
“I eventually see him playing more centrally when he gets older and gets more stamina. It’s all about little details to just find more consistency in the performances.”
It turns out this is a vision Guardiola shares, with the Spaniard suggesting the England international could even have a role in his back line if necessary, showing just how versatile he thinks he can be.
“I agree with Kevin, he hasn’t played there many times,” Guardiola said when told about De Bruyne’s comments via Sky Sports.
“Phil can play in five positions, even I would say he can play as a left-back!
“He played a few minutes against, I don’t know which game at home, and he played really, really well.
“So playing in the middle you need to pay a little more attention and some aspects that still have to grow.
“How you play in the middle you need to pay attention to what happens around you, close to you, on the sides, it is easier… with his desire to learn he will do it.”
At just 22, Foden has already achieved a lot in the game and how he evolves further from here should be very exciting for fans of English football as the winger has a very high ceiling.
