Phil Foden is one of the best young talents in England (Getty Images)
Manchester City will be left with a gaping hole in the midfield starting next season. The ever-present figure of David Silva, who has been one of the chief architects of their success in the last decade, will be leaving the club when his contract runs down at the end of the season (h/t The Guardian).
Silva, 34, arrived at Manchester City from Valencia in 2010 and has grown into a club legend, winning four Premier League titles along with a number of domestic cups. The Spaniard has made 424 appearances till date, scoring 74 and assisting 134 goals, establishing himself as one of the best midfielders to have played in the Premier League.
So, when he does leave after contract expiry, it is bound to leave a huge void at Manchester City, although he hasn’t been used as regularly this season by manager Pep Guardiola. Naturally, questions over a potential successor for ‘El Mago’ have been doing the rounds.
And one name that seems to be the popular choice to take over from Silva is academy graduate Phil Foden (h/t The Guardian). Indeed, Guardiola himself name-checked the youngster as the man to fill in the vacancy left by his captain. Speaking in January, the Man City manager said (h/t The Guardian):
“But David is going to leave this season [and] we are not going to buy any player in his position because we have Phil.”
It won’t be an easy task for any player to come in and replace an absolute legend of the game at a club of Manchester City’s stature. Guardiola, though, seems to have immense faith in Foden to do just that. But is the Englishman ready for such a huge step-up?
Foden came through the youth ranks at Manchester City and has been held in high regard within the club from his academy days. The 2016/17 campaign, during which he was directly involved in 21 goals in 30 matches for the Cityzens’ youth sides, put him on the path to a breakthrough into the senior team, which duly happened in December 2017, when he was just 17 years old.
The youngster did not make a lot of first-team appearances back then, but his game-time has been gradually increasing ever since. Foden featured in 26 matches in 2018/19, scoring 7 goals and assisting 2 more. He has racked up the same amount of appearances in this season too, producing a return of 3 goals and 7 assists.
There have been criticisms directed at Guardiola for under-using the teenage sensation and playing him out of his natural comforts of central midfield (h/t Daily Mail). But with every challenge that has been thrown at Foden, he has come through unscathed.
Indeed, one just needs to take a look at Foden’s performance in Manchester City’s Carabao Cup final against Aston Villa at the Wembley last month to see what the 19-year-old is made of. Once again thrust out on the right flank by Guardiola, Foden, unfazed by the occasion, put in a performance that truly marked his coming of age.
The assurance in his first touch, the way he glided past opponents with the ball at his feet, some of his play on that night was surreal. At times, Foden seemed to be running the game for Manchester City from the right channel. It was a performance that oozed confidence and class in abundance. To cap it off, Foden also got the assist for Sergio Aguero’s goal on the night.
There have never been any doubts over the potential and the talent that Foden possesses. But the question always was whether he would be able to translate that potential into performances and grow into the footballer he was expected to become ever since he helped England win the U-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017.
Foden answered that question against Aston Villa last month, in style. The silkiness of his first-touch, the ability to find a pass at any range and the air of confidence he exuded on the night shows that he is ready.
It is not possible for him to become the next David Silva – there will always be just one David Silva – but Foden has shown he is ready to take on the mantle from the Spanish playmaker and lead the Manchester City side into a future without their Merlin.
