MANCHESTER, England: Phil Foden is the best player in the Premier League on his current form and is already a Manchester City legend, manager Pep Guardiola said after his second-half brace sparked a 3-1 win over Manchester United late last night.
City were clearly in control but fell behind thanks to Marcus Rashford’s fine goal in the eighth minute before striker Foden stole the show in the second half.
The 23-year-old local fired a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner in the 56th minute and then beat Andre Onana with a finish just after 80 minutes.
Erling Haaland’s 18th goal of the season completed the injury-time scoring – his sixth in the past week – but nothing could take the focus off Foden who now has 11 league goals this season to equal his personal best.
“It’s about the number of games he’s played. He’s had talent for a long time but now he’s more mature and understands the game more, especially when defending,” Guardiola told the BBC.
“He can play in the middle, on the right, create moments and break in, play on the left, score goals from the left. What can I say? He’s the best player in the Premier League right now with the amount of contributions he makes. It’s incredible.”
Foden’s quality and level of consistency make him difficult to drop in a squad filled with world-class players. His current performance has also made him a mainstay in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
“We don’t compromise on that,” Guardiola said when asked about Foden’s discipline in defence.
“Players who don’t do that don’t stay in the team. He loves football, he lives for football. He’s a fun guy and his work ethic is amazing.”
Guardiola was no less effusive in his praise of Foden when speaking to Sky Sports.
“He is already a legendary player because in his short age, the games played, the minutes, the goals scored, the titles won and he is a local player and that is why the relationship with the fans is amazing,” said Guardiola.
“He is the best player of the season. No one has determined the outcome of matches for us more than him this season.”